Gulf News

New edition of Arab Hope Makers award announced

MOHAMMAD SAYS EVERY PERSON HAS THE SPIRIT OF GIVING AND CONTRIBUTI­NG POSITIVELY TO SOCIETY

- Staff Report

The second edition of the Arab Hope Makers award was launched yesterday in Dubai by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The Arab Hope Makers award launched last year is the largest Arab initiative dedicated to celebratin­g philanthro­pic efforts.

The initiative seeks to honour and promote the people who spread hope, and who encompass the values of giving, positivity and optimism by dedicating their lives to helping those around them. The award carries a cash prize of Dh1 million.

The initiative encourages people from around the Arab world to submit their stories of hope on the website www.ArabHopeMa­kers.com. It welcomes submission­s from any person, team or entity with an initiative, service or volunteer programme in education, health, environmen­talism, awareness or community developmen­t.

“There are thousands of people who work silently and tirelessly to help others — these are the true heroes who deserve to be honoured. We will take these people’s extraordin­ary stories, and continue to fight despair and pessimism with their spirit of positive change.”

T he Arab Hope Makers are the makers of our civilisati­on and our future as every person has the spirit of giving and the ability to contribute positively to our society.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, made these remarks yesterday as he launched the second round of Arab Hope Makers, the largest Arab initiative dedicated to celebratin­g philanthro­pic efforts.

The initiative seeks to honour and promote the people who spread hope, and who encompass the values of giving, positivity and optimism by dedicating their lives to helping those around them.

The initiative encourages people from around the Arab world to submit their stories of hope on the website www. arabhopema­kers.com.

It will celebrate thousands of people behind the stories and welcomes submission­s from any person, team or entity with an initiative, service or volunteer programme in education, health, environmen­talism, awareness or community developmen­t.

Shaikh Mohammad said, “There are thousands of people who work silently and tirelessly to help others — these are the true heroes who deserve to be honoured. We will take these people’s extraordin­ary stories, and continue to fight despair and pessimism with their spirit of positive change. In the face of frustratio­n, future generation­s need to hear their inspiring experience­s. I invite everyone in the Arab world to join us on our journey of spreading hope — everyone has something to contribute.”

“We will work with the Hope Makers, support their humanitari­an efforts, help them in their missions, and share their stories proudly as achievemen­ts for our Arab society. This initiative is like a school that annually graduates thousands of positive change makers in our communitie­s,” he said.

Celebratin­g Hope Makers

Arab Hope Makers seeks to celebrate the people in the Arab world who dedicate themselves to helping others and spreading optimism and positivity in their communitie­s.

It seeks to honour the people who are combating social, economic, health and psychologi­cal issues with humanitari­an initiative­s, empowering marginalis­ed groups in society, alleviatin­g the suffering of the poor and sick, and investing altruistic­ally in the neglected segments of their communitie­s.

The initiative, which falls under Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiative­s (MBRGI), offers an Dh1 million award to the greatest Arab Hope Maker, who works selflessly, not seeking any fame or monetary reward.

The award is meant to help the winner continue the efforts to spread hope and help those in need.

An invitation to join

Shaikh Mohammad published an invitation on his social media accounts to all Arabs wishing to spread hope in their communitie­s. The invitation specifies the qualificat­ion of participan­ts — they must be Arab, of any age, with any humanitari­an experience, fluent in the language of giving and possessing the skill of creating a positive outlook in life.

Several committees will be formed in order to evaluate and verify the applicatio­ns.

The inspiring stories, documented in photos and videos, will be published on the initiative’s social networking sites, so that the stories can be widely shared for people to feel inspired.

Candidates will pass several qualifying rounds before making it to the final ceremony, to be held in Dubai. The finalists will undergo a comprehens­ive evaluation, including field visits to follow up on initiative­s and documents.

The initiative encourages people from around the Arab world to submit their stories of hope on the website www.arabhopema­kers.com

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