UAE: Pharmacist caring for 200 children with cancer and Down syndrome wins Dh1 million Hope Maker Prize – News

An Iraqi pharmacist who cares for hundreds of young cancer sufferers and determined children was crowned the winner of the most prestigious award for philanthropy in Dubai on Sunday. Although Tala Al Khalil won the top Hope Maker title of Dh1 million, three other finalists also received Dh1 million each to continue their humanitarian work.

Tala received the highest number of votes during a glittering ceremony held at the Coca Cola Arena in front of a crowd of over 12,000 people.

She began her journey as a Hope Maker in 2015, when she began hosting young cancer patients in a special “caravan” at Basra Children’s Hospital to help them overcome challenges.

The three remaining finalists – an amputee who brought together several others like him to form a world-class football team, a YouTuber who uses his channel for good and a childless woman who adopted 34 girls – also received the million dirhams .

The four finalists were recognized as Arab Hope Makers by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai.

The event began with a video showing the sights and stories of hope from Gaza.

“In our part of the world, creating hope is creating life. The only way to overcome the challenges is through collaborative efforts,” Sheikh Mohammed said. “Hope for a better future is what keeps people going. Each new generation has the responsibility of creating a better reality in their communities. On the other hand, spreading despair is our biggest challenge, so we must continue to nurture hope, optimism and positivity among the new generation.”

The fourth season of the largest initiative of its kind in the Arab region celebrating philanthropists was attended by government officials, celebrities and other dignitaries.

The ceremony also featured several Arab celebrities, including Ahlam, Hussain Al Jassmi and Assala, among others.

The inspiring stories

Tala’s initiative offered children with cancer a space for hope and optimism away from the harsh reality of treatments and hospital wards. This was the beginning that inspired Tala to establish his Warrior Academy in 2018, to care for determined young people suffering from various diseases. Today, Tala personally cares for 200 children with Down syndrome and cancer.

Offering much-needed psychological support to the children who now call her ‘Mom’, Tala firmly believes in the role of good mental health in improving immunity and the body’s ability to fight disease.

When Iraqi doctor Mohamed Al Najjar, 37, lost a leg in 2014, this soccer fan turned his tragedy into a driver of change and hope. While studying for his PhD in England, he joined the Portsmouth amputee soccer team. There he stood out and won the title of the club’s best player in 2019.

Upon returning to Iraq he wanted to recreate this experience in his country of origin, and managed to form an amputee soccer team that went from participating in international friendly matches to qualifying for the 2022 Amputee Soccer World Cup in Turkey just one year after its formation. . . Thanks to Al Najjar’s tireless efforts, the Iraqi team is now ranked 19th in the world among 70 amputee football teams.

Al Najjar’s selfless drive to help amputees like him went beyond training and motivating players, until the team was good enough to attract sponsors.

From Morocco, the public met the YouTuber Amine Imnir, whose account on the social network ‘Faysboki’ strives to improve the living conditions of disadvantaged Moroccans. At the head of the AFTAS Society for Development and Solidarity, Amine has sponsored a number of humanitarian initiatives and aid campaigns in his country, documenting his efforts through his Faysboki television channel to help spread the culture of humanitarian work and motivate others to join. AFTAS’ list of achievements includes distributing over 1,000 solar panels, over 4,500 food packets to poor families including widows and orphans, funding 217 surgeries in 2023 and planting 2,800 fruit-bearing trees.

Known as “the mother of orphans” or “Mama Fathiya,” Egyptian hope-maker Fathiya Al Mahmoud offers an inspiring example of selfless giving and fostering hope. Unable to have children of her own since her marriage 30 years ago, she decided in 2005 to adopt 34 orphaned girls. With the help of her husband, she founded a society called A Touch of Hope to care for orphans, caring for, raising, educating and inspiring 34 girls without any outside help.

Not letting the challenges of raising so many girls bog her down, Fathiya dove deep into the world of parenting and how to care for the physical and mental needs of girls. In addition to her work caring for orphans, Fathiya and her husband established a charity hospital that offers free medical care to orphans and determined people.

Evaluation criteria

Operating under the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), the fourth edition of the Hope Makers initiative attracted more than 58,000 applications from across the region.

Contributions to the fourth edition of the initiative covered its various themes of community service, humanitarian aid and relief, dissemination of education and knowledge, youth empowerment, inspiring stories, health and fight against diseases and art and culture, among others.

All nominations were subject to extensive evaluation based on several criteria that determined this season’s winners.

Fight against despair

Sheikh Mohammed first launched the Hope Makers initiative in 2017, when he posted on his official social media accounts a Dh1 million reward for Hope Maker work.

The key mission of the initiative is to spread hope to support the fight against despair, cultivate optimism and instil a culture of generosity that helps changemakers translate their ideas and ambitions into reality on the ground. It is aimed at all Arab individuals and institutions that have creative and impactful projects, programs, campaigns or initiatives that aim to make positive change and improve stability and social solidarity in Arab communities.

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