DUBAI 18 May 2017: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, will honor the Hope Maker in the Arab World in a ceremony that will take place on Thursday at the Sound Stage in Dubai Studio City.
The winner of the Arab Hope Makers initiative, which received over 65,000 submissions from 22 Arab countries, will be honored at a gala award ceremony to be held at the Sound Stage in Dubai Studio City for his or her commitment to spreading hope.
Launched in March 1, the initiative under the umbrella of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Initiatives (MBRGI) as part of the Year of Giving, aims to shed light on the inspirational stories of people who provide hope and spread it among communities throughout the Arab world.
Award Jury
It seeks to honour them, highlight their achievements in society and reward their journey, which leads to contributing to social prosperity in a number of fields.
Jury members, who will vote for the winner, will include Noura Bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, UAE Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs; Ali Jaber, Dean of the Mohammad Bin Rashid School of Communications and Group TV Director of MBC, and Ahmad Al Shugairi, a media personality.
When launched, the initiative garnered 65,489 nominations in one month only. Volunteer-based initiatives were the most common, it was announced. Twenty-two Arab countries had nominated people in their communities and the highest amount of nominations came from Egypt.
Many of the submitted nominations revealed the stories of individuals who profoundly improved the lives of others in their communities.
The stories also reveal the dire challenges that many people in the Arab world face, as well as the commitment and humanitarian spirit of others who generously give their time and effort to overcome these obstacles and spread optimism and hope.
By Sheena Amos