Be-Free Program
Bahrain Women Association for Human Development

Agroup of Bahraini women and close friends regularly met for years
to discuss different issues in the community. One of the main issues extensively discussed by the group was on children. There
were many questions and concerns in mind regarding children in theircommunity:• Why do many children have problems understanding the love of
their parents so they go and search for it outside?
• Why can’t children say “NO” in dangerous circumstances so they
will not get abused or blackmailed?
• Why can’t children share their fears with their parents so they canbe protected?
• Why do many children have low self-esteem?
• Why do educational systems fall short in building productive human beings?
From these and many other questions, the group conceived of a new
way to answer these questions and advocate for children, but they needed tocreate a formal entity.
The Birth of Bahrain Women Association - for Human Development
In 2001, with the government allowing the formation of non-governmental organizations (ngos), the group of Bahraini women established the“Bahrain Women Association - for Human Development” (bwa) that formally became a ngo on 9 July 2001.
Bwa adopted the following vision: “To Empower Leaders for the Human
Development Era.”
Bwa sees human development as the path towards progress and development that can be achieved through:• Building an enlightened human based culture that promotes social
justice and sustainable development;• Empowering individuals to discover and believe in their potential,
to uplift themselves and their communities;11

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H u m a n R i g h t s E d u c at i o n i n A s i a - Pa c i f i c••

Promoting value based cosmic consciousness, and supreme knowledge to develop human and world’s resources;
Establishing and promoting partnerships to support human development strategies.

Bwa activities emerge from several programs that understand humanneeds, and speak to the mind and soul of people to become effective participants in the Human Development Journey.
It developed three main programs to benefit different sectors of the society. One is about Woman, the second focuses on the environment, and thethird on children and teenagers (Be-Free), which is the focus of this article.
Be Free Program
Before starting Be-Free Program, bwa realized the shortage of programs
that tackle issues related to child protection and prevention from abuse.
Most of the available programs focused on the strength of the abuser rather
than the child, created frightening and suspicious feelings towards others,
and targeted parents who were expected to teach children how to protect
themselves.
Bwa created the Be-Free Program to tackle these issues differently. It
developed a program based on the relevant experiences learned from visiting other countries, and using its own method and version of looking atthese issues and solving them. This method builds on the strong points
in the Bahraini culture, the powerful beliefs of the people, and their innerstrength.
In 2002 the Be-Free Program was launched with the support of theformer United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs. Mary
Robinson.
The Be-Free Program has the following vision: “Together, we work fora world free of child abuse and neglect, full of love, and aspires for peace.”
Utilizing the latest scientific methods and techniques, the program aims toachieve this vision for childhood through:• Helping children and teenagers to appreciate life, start confidently
to build their character and protect themselves, and adopting concepts and skills based on humanistic values;• Instilling peace values, and humanistic interaction with others
who are different, and considering them as source of learning andBe-Free Program

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participation in working together to achieve personal and societal
development;
Contributing in changing the perception of persons with disabilities about themselves, and others’ perception about them and develop a role that emphasizes their belief and ability to exercise their
humanistic role;
Supporting and cooperating with parents, specialists, and whoever has the responsibility to care for the children and teenagers
to achieve high levels of development on children’s and teenagers’
issues.

Core Values
Be-Free team has the following core values:• Humanity is our base in dealing with others regardless of religious
or ethnic group;• Honesty in serving others;• Respecting privacy and confidentiality;• Respecting others’ right to choose whatever they believe is best forthem; and• Keeping high quality standard performance.
Be-Free Projects
The Be-Free Program, as a child empowerment program on elimination ofchild abuse and neglect, has activities including training workshops andseminars, radio programs, research, and campaigns. It offers a range of
specialized trainings for both trainers and specialists in both Arabic andEnglish languages. The trainings cover topics related to child and parent
education, various ways of interacting with them with regards to protection skills and personality construction. It has several projects that address
specific concerns.
“I’m Strong, Smart, and Safe Child” project
The Be-Free Program started in 2002 with the project “I’m Strong,
Smart, and Safe Child” that empowers children with essential protection
skills. Gradually, year after year, projects were added, and all are simultane-

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H u m a n R i g h t s E d u c at i o n i n A s i a - Pa c i f i cously being implemented up until today. Each project builds certain areas ofchildren’s and teen’s personalities.
The project has the following objectives:• To empower children; by providing them with fundamental protection skills;• To constructively participate in building children’s personalities inorder to enable them to lead their lives with determination, hard
work and optimism;• To introduce the culture of leading lives by codes of human concepts and refined values to the children and persons in regular interaction with them. Further, to encourage them to take present
decisions and plan their future taking such concepts and values
into account;• To embed and develop essential life skills within children andtheir caretakers, examples of that include: self-assurance, problem
solving skills, positive thinking, critical thinking and respecting
differences;• To raise the awareness level of institutions that work with children,with a special emphasis on educational institutions; in order tocommunicate the importance of mainstreaming concepts of protection and essential life skills into their educational systems; and• To establish a societal culture that lays strong emphasis on childprotection and child’s personality construction.
To achieve the above goals, several mechanisms were used under the
project:• Interactive and enjoyable workshops for children designed to suitthe needs of their age group and devised to bring out their strengths;• Seminars, workshops and lectures aimed at parents and caretakers;• Specialized research and studies;• Organizing and participating in relevant forums and conferenceson both national and international levels;• Launching and administering campaigns with the intent of raisingsocietal awareness level and exploiting high-end media technology
to arrive at that end;
• Instituting and disseminating the culture of child protection fromabuse and neglect through short films, booklets and more.

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The project has the following target groups:• Children between the ages of four and twelve years;• Parents;• Caretakers and specialists; and• The entire society, however, a special interest is made towards institutions that work with children.
“I am Strong, Smart, and Safe...Despite my Disability” projectIn 2008, after studying the most vulnerable cases, Be-Free launched a
special project for the protection of children and teenagers with disabilities,
who are considered the most vulnerable.
The project is “I am Strong, Smart, and Safe...Despite my Disability”.
People with disabilities are considered the largest minority in the world, andthe most deprived. Children and teenagers with disabilities face different
types of challenges and receive the least attention compared with the adults
and their peers who have no disabilities. Statistics show that children withdisabilities are five times more prone to abuse than their peers, and a large
percentage has been subjected to sexual abuse before reaching eighteen
years of age.
The project has the following objectives:• Empower children and teenagers who have disabilities with essential protection skills, and basic life skills;• Help children and teenagers in building their character, and a positive perception about themselves;• Work in partnership with parents and support them in areas related to their children and their perception of people or children
with disability;• Create a culture of human inspiration by working with people withdisabilities; and• Raise societal awareness to concentrate more on the human aspectof people with disability rather than the disability itself.
The project covers children and teens with any type of disability, andspecializes in the following disabilities:• Visual impairment;• Speech impairment;

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Motor disability; andMild mental disability.

The project is implemented in collaboration with institutes and centers
concerned about people with disabilities, and has different activities andevents to achieve its goals. Some of the methods implemented are:• Interactive and fun workshops for children and teens withdisabilities;• Seminars and workshops for parents and caregivers;• Exhibitions, seminars, and events for the different sectors of thesociety to encourage the optimum positive interaction with people
with disabilities;• Media channels, and the interactive means of the Internet; and• Regional and international conferences.
“It is My Right to Understand My Rights” project
Almost all Arab countries have ratified the United Nations’ Convention
on the Rights of the Child (crc), which guarantees the right of children(under eighteen years of age) to lead a decent life and have their rights respected and protected. The crc obliges states to implement the provisionsof the agreement, which include the need to educate the community, especially children, on their rights.
The implementation of the crc is deemed necessary to contribute progressively in the development of the children’s personalities, who are often
considered it a right to have all their demands met whether they are basic
needs or not. Children’s comprehension of the crc would inevitably help
them distinguish between their fundamental rights and those that are goodenough to obtain.
Children’s comprehension of their rights contributes to their understanding of their duties towards others. Some children engage in harmful
conduct such as discrimination, ridiculing or bullying others. Children often mean no harm and may see their conduct as mere fun, and thus fail tounderstand the damage to the children who suffered bullying or the severityof the consequences of abuse and humiliation they might have been subjected to.
Given the importance of the rights of child and their impacts on society,the “It is My Right to Understand My Rights” project was launched in 2008,

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under the Be-Free Program in partnership with the unicef Office in the
Gulf States.
The project aims to promote the rights of the child in communities,
raise awareness on the topic, and apply these rights at both strategic andoperational levels among various segments of society. It has identified thefollowing objectives:• To communicate the principles of the rights of the child to children
as per the Convention on the Rights of the Child;• To disseminate and reinforce the rights of the child among educators and other members of the society; and• To work with public and private institutions towards raising thelevel of child rights.
The project is designed for the following people:• Children;• Adolescents;• Educators and parents;• Officials of public and private institutions; and• Officials of legislative institutions.
The “It is My Right to Understand My Rights” project resulted in thefollowing output:• Comprehensive training manuals that contain interactive activities
to train children on the most important articles of the Convention
on the Rights of the Child in a fun and enjoyable atmosphere;• The launch of the “Let’s protect children now” in 22 November
2009, which is concerned with child protection laws in Arab countries. It is also the first movement of its kind in the Arab countries;• Publishing of expressive and meaningful stories for children including “The Courage of Nasser” that cites the rights of the child tobe protected from abuse in a simple yet interesting format;• Conducting a series of interactive workshops for children on the
topic of the rights of the child;• Publishing booklets and articles promoting the concept of rights ofthe child in the society and reinforcing the importance of promoting and advancing these rights; and• Communicating with legislative institutions and offering input in
respect to laws concerning the rights of the child.

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Smart+The Internet assumes a vital role in today’s world. More than just a medium for efficient exchange of information and entertainment, it has become the backbone of several governmental and educational organizations.
However, the Internet encompasses a darker side, one that can be
disturbing and worrisome, individuals, particularly adolescents and children are vulnerable to manipulation and exploitation as they spend longer
hours surfing the Internet, chatting, exchanging information and making
new friends. With limited experience in life and love for exploring newthings, they are especially vulnerable to various forms of hazards found on
the Internet such as bullying, sexual abuse and exploitation, and humantrafficking.
The virtual world does not differ drastically from the real world. In both
realms, it is equally important for children to obtain the knowledge necessary to understand the hazards surrounding them, how to protect themselves and what is the correct conduct to assume in critical situations. This ishighlighted with the presence of an ever widening knowledge gap between
parents and their children in regards to the Internet and its frail child protection regulations, mechanisms and penalties for offenders.
The “Smart +” program, established after years of intensive study by thepeople implementing Be-Free, is dedicated to addressing different aspects
that contribute to children and adolescent safety over the Internet.
Objectives:• To empower children and adolescents with essential protection
skills needed on the Internet;• To disseminate information and raise awareness among caretakers
and individuals working with children on the dangers inherited inmodern technology and ways through which they are able to provide protection to children and adolescents;• To lobby legislative and legal institutions to enact new laws; keeping pace with the emerging hazards, to contribute to the protectionof children and adolescents, in addition to establishment of strict
penalties for offenders;• To lobby institutions that provide Internet and telecommunication
services, to provide safer services for children and adolescents;• To venture in joint actions and cooperation with international organizations concerned with children and adolescents protection on
the Internet.

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Highlights of the “Smart +” Program
•

•
•
•
•

The international conference on “Effective Strategies to Protect
Children from Sexual Abuse and Trafficking on the Internet” in
2009; under the auspices and the presence of the Special Rapporteur
to the United Nations concerned with child trafficking and prostitution. The conference was the first event dedicated to the subjectof child protection on the Internet in the region.
A comprehensive training manual, containing interactive activities
that contribute to effective training of children on protection skills
and safe surfing in a fun and enjoyable atmosphere.
Publishing of the booklet “I am a Strong, Smart and Safe Young
Person/ youngster on the Internet”. The booklet includes the mostessential protection skills for youth on the Internet.
A series of interactive workshops for children and adolescents
to communicate concepts and mechanics of protection over theInternet.
Launching joint effort with telecommunication companies and international organizations active in the field of child protection on
the Internet.

Color Your Life with Your Choices
Students encounter a number of obstacles and challenges during thecourse of their educational journey, ones that might pose a setback to theiracademic development in case they were not properly addressed. Such challenges may be induced by social, national or international factors or they
could be purely academic. These challenges can negatively affect the child’s
educational and occupational future.
Parents play a defining role in how students address challenges. They
can provide positive assistance and support to help students overcome theirchallenges and walk away with more life experiences, better life skills, and amore balanced personality.
In 2011, Be-Free started the project “Color Your Life with Your Choices”
to address the issues mentioned above.
The “Color Your Life with Your Choices” project operates at two levels:
Level One: Students
The “Color Your Life with Your Choices” program strives to provide
assistance to students between the ages of ten and seventeen in addressing

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H u m a n R i g h t s E d u c at i o n i n A s i a - Pa c i f i cvarious challenges that could become present during the course of their academic and social journey. Further, it helps them deal with such challenges
and redefine them as opportunities to learn life lessons from, lessons thatwill contribute effectively in honing and fortifying their personalities, andrendering them more determined to achieve their goals and realize their
dreams.
On the other hand, some challenges can more easily be overcome
should sufficient information be made available to the students. Rather thanleaving them to stumble across answers in their continuous trial and error
endeavors, the program offers readily available information that acts as a
guide for the students.
Level Two: Parents and Caretakers
Parents and caretakers are keen on helping their children achieve thebest academic results possible within their knowledge and life experiences.
As important as such experiences may be, they are often overwhelmed by
the nature of today’s life, social circumstances and technological advancements. Parents may make a notable effort to support their children with notangible results, this may reflect negatively on their relationship with theirchildren and a feeling of being misunderstood may develop between andamong all parties.
The “Color Your Life with Your Choices” program helps both parents
and caretakers understand how to support their children in a positive way
and how to tackle the challenges that may cross their path in building andsustaining a solid relationship with their children. The program helps parents look at matters from their child’s point of view taking into account various social and technological advancement factors in addition to the fears
and concerns experienced by students, which may not be apparent to theparents and caretakers.
Highlights of the Project
Following a study conducted on the needs of students using data obtained
from children in communication with the Be-Free Project, a number of themost important challenges that are believed to have a significant effect on
the student’s academic and social life were selected:• Loss of a relative or a loved one;• Preparing for exams;

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Bullying;
Family problems;Competition and development;
Feelings of anxiety due to national or international events.

Me and the Other
Societies are becoming more diversified; children and teenagers livewith peers with different cultures, faiths, and nationalities. In this context,
unless they have the right perspective in relating to people with different
backgrounds, challenges are likely to arise including bullying.
Children and teenagers are now – more than ever before – in need oflearning the importance of cultural tolerance.
In 2012, Be-Free with the support of the British Embassy, started the
project “Me and the Other”.
Project Goals
The “Me and the Other” project has the following goals:• To build a culture in which children and teenagers sublime in dealing with others who are different from them, in language, belief,country, color, or any other differences, to reach a stage of respecting and learning from these differences;• To encourage a culture of having universal human values as a foundation and base of dealing with the other who can be different inshape, or color, or belief, or any other differences;• To empower children and teenagers with skills about dealing withbullying, and protecting themselves from it;• To spread awareness, especially among caregivers, and who workwith children and teenagers, about the effects of bullying, and theirrole in controlling it;• To build cooperation with educational institutes to implement anti-bullying strategies that act as a deterrent.
The project has nine main pillars:• Each person respects him\herself and respect others;• The opinion of every person is respected;• Learning from differences;22

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•
•
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Identifying common grounds and building upon them;Start conversations with the best aspects of the other person;
Empathy with others and respect their feelings;
Wishing for the other what we wish for ourselves;
Developing the society together; andAdopting tolerance as a value in life.

Highlights of “Me and the Other”
The implementation of the “Me and the Other” project has the following
highlights:• Development of a Training Manual for Trainers who work withchildren, which includes training workshops that conveys the nine
pillars in interactive and fun ways;• Development of the story “We learn and have fun with our differences” that conveys the concept of respecting differences andlearning from them;• Preparation of animation of the story “We learn and have fun with
our differences” in Arabic and English, and making it available on
www.youtube.com/user/befreeprogram;• Printing of “Me and the Other” booklet for youngsters, which explains the nine main pillars in dealing with others;• Holding of a series of training workshops for children about protection and dealing with bullying;• Printing of a coloring book “I’m a respectful, smart, and strong
child” that helps children understand bullying, and how to replace
it with positive concepts and actions so their presence become asource of goodness for others.
“Instilling Universal Knowledge” ProjectIn 2014, after twelve years of experience in the field of child and teenager
protection from abuse and of character building, Be-Free developed thisproject, which includes the core of all Be-Free activities.
It is a pioneer project that assists educational institutions with different levels of adopting innovative and creative methods to make the institutions a more desirable place for students. It increases their awareness, andBe-Free Program

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moves them beyond learning to reach universal knowledge. It inspires themto transcend the limitations of self-centeredness and to aspire for building
communities and painting their humanistic mark on the world.
The project has the following four pillars on which “Instilling Universal
Knowledge” Project was built, and which contributes in building the“Human Student” who is motivated to succeed, to think right, wisely andto give others:
1. Emotional Balance;
2. Humane Sense;
3. The Universal Humanistic Values;
4. Leadership and the Interaction with the Universal Environment.
The Project can be implemented by:• Academic-Life Linking Process:Is the process of finding shared principles and areas of implementation that links a principal from a scientific material, or an educational information, or a mathematical process in the curriculum, which the teacher
is trying to convey to the students, with life principles and values such as,
humane principle and principles of manners in addition to basic life skills.
• International Days:
Schools mark many international days, which helps students interact with others and raise awareness about cultural tolerance. “Instilling
Universal Knowledge” Project marks specific international days every year
and encourages schools to arrange for activities to celebrate these days.
• Schools Activities:
Utilizing school activities to contribute in implementing the four project pillars, which emphasizes children’s skills through each pillar.
• Workshops:
Workshops are one of the most important ways to implement the“Instilling Universal Knowledge” Project. These workshops were thoroughly
designed by experts in “Be Free” program. They work on delivering the important concepts to children in a positive interactive environment, full of
fun and joy. There are different workshops for each grade presented in dif-24

H u m a n R i g h t s E d u c at i o n i n A s i a - Pa c i f i cferent ways suitable for each age group. The workshops’ detailed instructions are available in the training manuals, the schools adopting this projectwill receive a copy of them.
• Involving Parents:
A booklet has been developed for parents to help them in getting positively involved in the project.
Project Documents
The project has developed the following documents to assist in project implementation. They are available online for download.
• Project Fundamentals and Educational Material• Academic-Life Linking Process Document• International Days and School Activities• Parent’s Booklet• Project Impact Measurement• Trainer’s Guide for Children’s Workshops (ages 6-8 years old)
• Trainer’s Guide for Children’s Workshops (ages 9-12 years old)
• Trainer’s Guide for Teenagers’ Workshops (Intermediate and HighSchool)• Trainer’s Guide for Children and Teenagers with Disability(Hearing Impairment, Visual Impairment, Motor Disability, Mild
Mental Disability)
Reaching more children and teenagers…
At the beginning, in 2002, Be-Free was conducting the workshop “I’m
Smart, Strong, and Safe Child” for children at schools, social centers, clubs,
and any other gathering place for children, and disseminates its relevantpublications to children after the workshops.
In 2007, Be-Free thought of reaching more children by going to more
public places, such as shopping malls, books exhibitions, children exhibitions, etc. Therefore, it developed mini-workshops that last for 15 minutes.
Children learn two main concepts per mini-workshop. Mini workshops assist Be-Free in reaching even more children, especially in Bahrain and theWest Asian subregion.

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In 2009, Be-Free started documenting its training workshops, and making them available online for public use so more teachers, caregivers, andtrainers can benefit from them.
Publications1“Salem and the Smart Crayons”
A story that is used to spread the main concepts and skills of protection
from abuse. It is a story about a boy having a conversation with his crayons
and answering their smart questions in a smart way.
“I’m respectful, smart, and strong child” Coloring Book
This coloring book helps children understand what bullying is, and how
to replace it with positive concepts and actions so their presence becomes asource of goodness for others.
The coloring book was launched during the Universal Children’s Day,and it contains important concepts for children in Arabic and in English.
The book has a drawing of an act of bullying on one page along with a simple
description, and another drawing of a positive act on the next page alongwith a simple description, and so on.
Be Smart with Smart Devices
A booklet about using social networking applications of smart phones
and tablets, in a way that filters out the bad stuff while keeping the good
stuff.
The booklet discusses online privacy and personal information security,and how to identify and deal with rumors and inaccurate news. Moreover,the booklet explains the new concept of “Friendship” that came with social networking, which is different from the previous common meaning of“Friendship”. It then discusses how to choose friends, followers and deal withthem in different situations and especially in conflicts, or when feeling angry, and the criteria of choosing the right person to help in such situations.
“We Learn and Have Fun with our Differences”
This is a story that aims at encouraging a culture of respecting the differences between people, and learning from these differences.

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H u m a n R i g h t s E d u c at i o n i n A s i a - Pa c i f i c“I am a Smart, Strong, and Safe Child”
A booklet that summarizes the main protection skills, in a simple andeasy to understand way.
“The Human Being with Disability... A Humanistic Perspective”
This booklet is intended for parents of children with disability. It encourages them to look at their children’s disability from a new and different
perspective that is humanistic.
Naser’s Courage
A story that explains the child rights for children, with a focus on therights related to protection from abuse.
Because they are God’s Gift
A booklet for parents about their role in protecting children.
Say No… to Cyberbullying
A booklet that aims at increasing children’s and adolescents’ awarenessabout the effects of cyberbullying, the various problems it creates, and how
they can take a leadership role in combating cyberbullying. The booklet isa joint project between Telecommunication Regulatory Authority and BeFree Program. The booklet covers important topics such as the differences
between bullying and cyberbullying, types and ways of cyberbullying, thedifferent forms of damage it can cause, the protection skills to avoid becoming a victim of cyberbullying, and how the children or adolescents can help
themselves to avoid being a source of cyberbullying, etc.
The booklet focuses on instilling leadership concept in children andadolescents, and urging them to have a role bigger than not becoming acyberbully, protecting themselves from cyberbullying, and motivating themto take leadership role in stopping cyberbullying between their friends andpeers.
Code of Ethics for the Protection of Children from Abuse
This Code of Ethics is a result of the work of a group of professionals
and specialists from different sectors and from different parts of the world.
Each member of this group contributed with his/her knowledge and experience to put together a Code of Ethics that can serve as guidance in protect-Be-Free Program27

ing children from abuse. The work on this code of ethics started during theinternational conference, “Effective Strategies for the Prevention of childonline Pornography, Trafficking and Abuse” that was held in Bahrain on
May 9-10, 2009.
The Code pertains to the following sectors: Parliament, the Police, theJudiciary, the Ministry or Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, themedia, non-governmental organizations, religious leaders, and internet service providers (isps).
“Yes… I Can”
A training guide for trainers working with teenage girls to train themon leadership concepts and skills. The guide was developed in partnershipwith Women’s Learning Partnership (wlp). The guide focuses on the idea ofyoung women as emerging leaders and serves as the primary curriculum for
the Young Women’s Learning Partnership (ywlp).
Training Guides
The Be-Free Program developed training guides for trainers, which can be
downloaded for free from its website. The following are the training guides
by topic:
Bullying Prevention and Protection:
These are training guides that help the trainer to conduct interactive
workshops for children (age specific) to train them on prevention and protection from bullying skills:• Trainer’s Guide to Bullying Prevention and Protection (Age Group
5-8);• Trainer’s Guide to Bullying Prevention and Protection (Age Group9-12).
Essential Protection Skills for Children and Teens with Disabilities
These are training guides for trainers who work with children with disabilities. The guide contains training workshops that cover the essential protection skills, and basic life skills, in a fun and interactive ways, concentrating on the strengths, abilities, and skills of the disabled child and teen:• Essential Protection Skills for Children with Hearing Impairments;• Essential Protection Skills for Children with Visual Impairments;

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Essential Protection Skills for Children with Motor Disability;
Essential Protection Skills for Children with Mild Mental Disability.

Child Rights
This training guide contains interactive activities to train children on
the most important articles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child ina fun and enjoyable atmosphere.
• It Is My Right To Understand My Rights
Core of Be-Free Main Concepts and Skills
The following training guides contain age-specific training workshopsthat are core of what Be-Free provides in all its projects:• Trainer’s Guide for Children’s Workshops (ages 6-8 years
old);• Trainer’s Guide for Children’s Workshops (ages 9-12 years old);• Trainer’s Guide for Teens Workshops (Intermediate and HighSchool).
See Annex A for the cover of the publications.
Bwa has videos of its activities available on YouTube, www.youtube.
com/user/BeFreeProgram.
Successes
Bwa is sowing its good seeds today in hopes of reaping good fruits tomorrow.
Bwa obtained consultative status at the Economic and Social Council(ecosoc) of the United Nations in 2007; the first Bahraini ngo to enjoy thisstatus.
Be-Free Program also received various awards such as the following:• Good Word Society Voluntary Work Award 2015;• H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Arab Youth Award 2012;• Unicef Regional Award 2010 for Information on Child Rights;• Chaillot Award 2009 organized by the European Commission for
the Arab Gulf Countries;• Bahrain E-Content Award 2007.

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Main achievements:
Bwa has done the following:• Produced more than 400 radio episodes about issues related toprotection of children and teen and building their personalities;• Developed short movies that raises awareness;• Conducted specialized training workshops and seminars in many
countries including Tunisia, uk, Dominican Republic, usa, Yemen,
Qatar, uae, Lebanon, Jordan, ksa, Egypt;• Many of Be-Free Publications are online;• People trained (March 2002, and up till end of February 2016):»» Number of trained children: 20685»» Number of trained teens: 7479»» Number of trained parents: 8588»» Number of trained specialists: 983.
Final remarks
Be-Free Program is more than happy to share its experience with other organizations and Institutes. Moreover Be-Free is planning to reach more children, parents, and professionals locally and around the world, by creating
different types of partnerships and alliances with interested organizations.2
Endnotes
1 List of some of the publications and their urls:
a. Naser Courage - www.befreepro.org/en/images/stories/pdf/nasseren.pdf;
b. “I’m respectful, smart, and strong child” Coloring Book - www.befreepro.org/en/images/stories/PDF/coloringbookweb.pdf;
c. Say No to Cyber Bullying - www.befreepro.org/images/stories/pdf/
cyber_bullying_digital_booklet.pdf;
d. I am Strong, Smart, and Safe Youngster...Over the Internet - www.
befreepro.org/en/images/stories/publications/smartstrong-en.
pdf;
e. We Learn and Have Fun with our Differences -www.befreepro.org/
en/images/stories/publications/learn-differences-en.pdf;
f. A Human Being with Disability... A Humanistic Perspective... - www.
befreepro.org/en/images/stories/pdf/DisabilityBookletEn2014.pdf.

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Visit www.befreepro.org/en/index.php/publications for more information on the publications.
Watch videos on the Be-Free Program in YouTube - www.youtube.com.
user/BeFreeProgram
2 Any interested organization can contact Be-Free Program on contact@befreepro.org. More about Be-Free can be found on www.befreepro.org.

Be-Free Program

Annex ABe Free Publications

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