Agriculture Center for Vocational Training Receives Support

The Riffa Views’ team recently visited the Agriculture Center for Vocational Training as part of their commitment to donate the monetary prize received by the Riffa Views Farmers Market Stand for being awarded third place in the “Best Stand” competition at the Riffa Views Bahrain International Garden Show 2009 (RVBIGS 09).

The donation was presented to Eng. Zeeba Al Amir, a member of the Agriculture Center for Vocational Training and the creator of the center which offers training opportunities in the agricultural sector for young people with special needs. The Center is located in A’ali on a 1 hectare site donated by the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture and is attended by a considerable number of students from the Bahrain Association for Mental Retardation.

The Center opened officially on March 30th 2009 and is considered as a model training workshop aimed at developing the agricultural work and professional skills of the young students with special needs, in addition to offering them the opportunity to become productive members of the society.

Eng. Zeeba Al Amir commented: “The challenge is not only to establish this type of training center, but to ensure its operability and sustainability. Therefore, we took into consideration producing vegetables of high value in the market and some of the seeds were brought from Germany and Czechoslovakia.”

“We are very pleased to be supporting the Center which is making a valuable contribution to providing appropriate training and lasting opportunities to an important group of Bahrain’s youth in the agricultural sector, which, as a ‘green’ focused development, is aligned with our vision ,” said Karla Solano, Head of Marketing & PR at Riffa Views.

The students utilize their skills towards harvesting local produce that includes 13 varieties of tomatoes, 11 varieties of beans, cucumber, watermelon, squash, lettuce, onion, broccoli, beetroot and many more. In addition, the students also learn about irrigation systems, planting, and fertilization, all of which is part of a 1-year programme which aims at placing them in a job-related opportunity once they complete their course.

“We want to show people what our students are able to achieve and we use the support from our sponsors and donors to further develop new ideas for the center to be self-sufficient. We would like to have a show room to display the produce of our students and to host seminars open to the public on agriculture related topics. This Center has great potential as it is even capable of producing 6,500 plants and flowers that we can grow upon request,” added Mrs Al Amir.

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Riffa Views TV: Episode 24 – You Can Make a Difference

please click here to download episode

As nature and the environment are intrinsic values to Riffa Views Signature Estates, sponsoring the Bahrain International Garden Show (BIGS) was a logical choice.

Since the initial sponsorship in 2007 Riffa Views and the BIGS Committee have worked closely together to develop the show.

The introduction of leading names, such as Gardening expert and BBC TV Presenter, Chris Beardshaw; the launch of satellite activities, such as the Eden Challenge; the marked appreciation and support for local culture, through the showcase of local Arts and Crafts in 2008 and the Farmers Market in 2009, are just some of the things that worked towards putting BIGS on the gardening show map.

Three years ago Riffa Views made a commitment to work with the BIGS committee to take the show to the next level, for it to be on par with other international shows. Now, three years on, the hard work has paid off and BIGS is on the exhibition calendar as the ‘must see’ Middle East gardening event for experts, exhibitors and enthusiasts alike.

Bahrain: Champion of the Arabian Gulf Cup

Bahrain RFC celebrated its return to the pinnacle of Arabian Gulf Rugby this week by thanking Senior Rugby Squad sponsors RIFFA VIEWS for their tremendous assistance in driving the Bahrain International Rugby Team forward over the past two seasons.

RIFFA VIEWS’ support was, from the start, not a purely financial one but more the establishment of a partnership that has allowed the Club to adopt a greater professional attitude, impacting positively on the performance of all of the playing squads.

As an immediate result of the partnership, the Bahrain RFC re-established its identity by returning to the national colours of Red & White across all of its various age group teams, leading to an outstanding improvement in the teams’ image and spirit.

RIFFA VIEWS’ financial support has been put to significant use on the rugby field, although not in a manner that many would have expected. After consultation with Club ‘stalwarts’, it was decided that the quality and, just as importantly, the average age of the playing squads needed to be improved. As a result, the Bahrain RFC conducted a search to bring three full time rugby playing coaches from the UK to fill key gaps in the senior team, whilst at the same time providing a quality of coaching to the junior players of an internationally expected level.

As a direct result, the playing squad has reduced its average age by almost 9 years, it has lifted the Arabian Gulf Cup for the first time in ten years and it is now placed in the top half of the AGRFU league for the first time since 2001. On a junior front, the Mini Rugby Program has seen several of its age groups go through the year undefeated and the Program is now entirely coached by internationally qualified coaches.

The knock on effect of the rugby teams’ successes and improvement has been a simultaneous lifting of quality in the other sports enjoyed by the 1,000 plus adults and juniors who actively participate within the Bahrain RFC’s sporting programs.. Bahrain RFC has become a centre of sporting excellence not just on the rugby field but also for football, netball, cricket and swimming.

This is perhaps where the true value of the RIFFA VIEWS sponsorship lies – allowing Bahrain RFC to regain its identity and spirit. As a result of this transformation, and the organizational changes undertaken by the Club, it is now once again well positioned to further its sporting ambitions across the multitude of sports in which it competes as part of putting Bahrain firmly on the sporting map.

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