Egyptian bags Dh1m award in Dubai for building home for the elderly

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Egyptian bags Dh1m award in Dubai for building home for the elderly

Dubai - He helped save 1,000 elderly people from the streets.

Sherouk Zakaria

Published: Tue 15 May 2018, 12:00 AM

Last updated: Tue 15 May 2018, 8:50 AM

Egyptian Mahmoud Waheed was named the 'Arab Hope Maker' for building a shelter for the homeless elderly people in Egypt. However, like last year, the Dh1million Arab Hope Maker Award 2018 was given to five finalists, which included a former Iraqi beauty queen Seham Jarjees.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, granted the award to the five finalists of the second edition of Arab Hope Makers on Monday.
And the winners are...
The crowning of the winner came after an audience vote and points given by a panel of judges during the grand finale at the Dubai Studio City on Monday.
Waheed from Egypt helped save 1,000 elderly people from the streets and give them home and shelter. He is supported by 250,000 volunteers on social media to help him spot homeless elderly in need for care. Some of them were integrated back with their families.
"There's no future for someone whose father and mother are on the streets. The first case I came across was that of an old man who couldn't be picked up by an ambulance because he was in a very bad condition."
"That's when young men on the streets joined me in showering him and taking care of him. The idea of dedicating time to the elderly started from there," said Waheed.
The other four other finalists included Nawal Mustafa, a journalist from Egypt who established an association to help rehabilitate female prisoners and train them to find jobs that can integrate them back to society. The association helped create 500 projects for female prisoners, and empower 2,500 families.
Kuwaiti Manal Al Musallam was another finalist who turned her pain to help through establishing Dana volunteering group to help Syrian refugees. The group, named after her young daughter who drowned years earlier, helped 350,000 refugees through five campaigns and 52,000 families. She helped distribute 330,000 food baskets and support 5,000 children. "My daughter Dana is in heaven but children here are living in hell on earth, so why don't we become their hope," she said during the ceremony.
Another finalist was Iraqi Seham Jarjees, a former beauty queen, who helped alleviate the suffering of 103,000 Iraqis and cure 200 cases of likeness. She helped establish over 15 orphanages and homes for widows.
"Everything died in Iraq except chivalry. The person who doesn't answer a need of others isn't human," said Jarjees.
The last finalist was Faris Ali from Sudan who helped feed over 35,000 students in 123 schools through distributing 40 million meals over eight years. The five finalists were briefly interviewed on stage by a panel of judges that was formed by Minister of state for Happiness Ohoud Al Roumi; Turki Al Dakhil, managing director of Al Arabiya TV; and Emirati singer Hussain Al Jasmi
The winner was announced among over 87,000 participants who registered for the initiative and were narrowed down to 15 finalists. Five nominees reached the final ceremony and their stories and initiatives were displayed to an audience of over 3,000 people from the public, dignitaries and VIPs.
A special committee and specialised volunteer teams were formed to review the whopping 87,000 applications in different fields including education, health, community service, youth and women's empowerment received this year.
The screening comprised multiple phases with the involvement of several sub-committees that studied all the entries. Experts examined all the documents submitted with the applications to verify the credibility of the initiatives and evaluate their impact on the community, and submitted their recommendations to the concerned committees.

Saudi Arabia topped the list

Saudi Arabia topped the list of candidates for the Arab Hope Makers, exceeding 18 per cent of the total number of initiatives, followed by Egypt in second place with about 12 per cent. Algeria and Morocco took the third and fourth place with more than 10 per cent and 9 per cent respectively, while the UAE ranked fifth with more than 8 per cent of the nominations. The Arab Hope Makers initiative aims to recognise young change agents in the Arab world who have dedicated their lives to serving people and communities.

Academy will support Arab philanthropists

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Monday launched a Hope Makers Academy, on the sidelines of the Arab Hope Makers 2018 award ceremony. Sheikh Mohammed also announced Dh50 million to support philanthropists across the Arab world.
It was back in February, Sheikh Mohammed posted on his social media accounts a Dh1 million job opening for Arabs regardless of age, marking the launch of the initiative's second edition.
Applicants needed to be skilled in giving and serving people, be positive and believe in the capabilities of Arab nations. The advertisement also mandated that they had at least one social initiative to their credit.
The announcement sparked an unprecedented response with thousands of shares, likes and comments nominating candidates, suggesting ideas and asking questions.