Sheikh Mansour receives Arab hope makers
Bin Zayed congratulates Ali and Mostafa
ABU DHABI, May 15: HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, today received, in his office at the Presidency Palace, Fares Ali from Sudan and Nawal Mostafa from Egypt, who were honoured by the Vice- President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, as two of the five Arab hope makers, during the closing ceremony of the Hope Makers Initiative on Monday, says a press release.
Sheikh Mansour congratulated Ali and Mostafa and thousands of other Arab hope makers for their humanitarian efforts and was briefed by the two hope makers about their initiatives, as well as their outcomes and future prospects.
“The presence of Arab people who are loyal to their country and people and do not surrender to challenges makes us confident about the future of the Arab region” he said while stressing that the hope makers aim to positively affect their communities, which highlights the capacities of Arab people in terms of giving.
He added that any humanitarian or community initiative that aims to ease suffering of the needy and invest in people are the cornerstone of development and are worthy of being supported. Sheikh Mansour also praised the Hope Makers Initiative, which is part of the Mohammed bin Rashid Global Initiatives while pointing out that it has succeeded in promoting the culture of hope and involving thousands of Arab people.
Sheikh Mansour instructed the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation to coordinate with Ali to draft a list of key projects and priorities, to support poor families in Sudan and fulfil its urgent needs in terms of education, health and youth empowerment, as well as to enhance the quality of life in vulnerable areas.
He then directed the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development to support Mostafa and promote its initiatives that aim to support and empower female prisoners. He also discussed the potential future cooperation between the UAE and Egypt, though drafting a study to implement the model implemented by Mostafa of developing the penal institution in the UAE.
Fares Ali from Sudan, founder of the Food for Education initiative, that seeks to fight hunger by distributing sandwiches to schoolchildren in poor areas, as well as feeding homeless children and adolescents, integrating them into society, and providing educational programs for them.
Having started with 20 sandwiches a day, Fares now provides daily snacks to more than 35,000 students across 132 schools. Despite the harsh conditions prevalent in the country, the initiative, run by an umbrella team set up by Fares, has attracted a growing number of volunteers that wish to contribute to the development of a better nation.
Nawal Mostafa from Egypt, who devoted herself to the cause of female prisoners and their children and implemented multiple rehabilitation initiatives through training them in professions and handicrafts so that they can earn a living for themselves and their families. She also founded the Prisoners Children Care Association to highlight the plight of children who live with their mothers in debtors’ prisons, monitor their situation, and meet their needs; To date, Nawal has contributed to freeing 1,000 prisoners of debt, launching more than 1,000 small projects for former inmates, and training 500 ex-convicts in professions that would help them regain their self-confidence.