Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today launched the Samsung Hope for Children Application Competition to develop apps for students with special needs.
The competition is open to any developer based in the UAE that is interested in developing applications for students with Special Needs. To register for the competition, applicants must visit www.samsung.com/ae/hopeforchildren and register before March 23rd.
The five winning apps will be integrated into the educational curriculum of Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs, Samsung’s CSR partner in the UAE. The competition will award the five developers for their hard work by giving them $5,000 each as a prize.
This competition is all about introducing the students at Al Noor to a new and innovative way of learning, a perfect campaign for the Samsung Hope for Children program, which centers around creating new possibilities for children.” said Mr. Young Soo Kim, President of Samsung Gulf Electronics. “Last year we provided Al Noor with a range of our products and this year we wanted to create these apps for the students as an extension of our commitment to continuously enhance the way these students learn. We want to encourage every software developer in the UAE to register and help give back to the local community,” he added.
“It was a pleasure to partner with Samsung on this initiative. The professional team at Al Noor worked closely with the Samsung team, to give their professional input to create the brief that will be given to all the participants of the Hope for Children competition. Thus the applications created will serve a relevant functional purpose, as identified by the professionals at Al Noor, for children with Special Needs,” said Isphana Al Khatib, Director of Al Noor Training Center for Children with Special Needs. “We achieved great results with our students when we integrated Samsung’s technologies into our classroom’s last year. The students responded very well to the introduction of the products, becoming more engaged and motivated to learn. We are very excited about the launch of the competition as these applications will definitely enhance the process of learning for our students,” she added.
Last year, Samsung worked closely with Al Noor’s teachers and management to integrate its products and technologies for 35 students across all disabilities as part of a pilot study. The study showed that the students showed increased attention and reception to learning after using Samsung’s products with some students achieving their educational goals faster than before.
For more information on the Samsung Hope for Children Program please visit www.samsung.com/ae/hopeforchildren
