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Ex banker who helped 19,000 kids with cleft condition wins Dh1-million Hope Maker award
Fawzia Mahmoudi has helped raise funds for surgeries that can cost up to $5,000 and coordinated medical care for families who would otherwise be unable to afford it
- PUBLISHED: Sun 15 Feb 2026, 7:58 PM
Fawzia Mahmoudi from Morocco was crowned Arab Hope Maker 2026 at a ceremony held in Dubai on Sunday (February 15), earning the Dh1-million top prize for her life-changing work with children born with cleft lip and palate.
Mahmoudi has helped nearly 19,000 children access critical treatment, raising funds for surgeries that can cost up to $5,000 and coordinating medical care for families who would otherwise be unable to afford it.
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Her journey began 28 years ago while working at a bank, when she was assigned to the community outreach department. It was there that she discovered a largely hidden problem: many families were keeping children with cleft conditions at home due to fear, stigma, and lack of awareness.
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What began as outreach soon turned into a long term mission.
Mahmoudi recaled meeting a young girl whose greatest wish was simply to be kissed by her mother. “When the surgery was over, she was overjoyed,” Mahmoudi said. “She could only say, ‘My mom can kiss my face now.’”
Beyond raising funds, Mahmoudi said one of the biggest challenges is organising large scale surgical campaigns. Operations are often conducted in batches of up to 150 children at a time, requiring full coordination of surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, and hospital facilities.
During those hours, she said the pressure is overwhelming.
“At that moment, it feels like I have 150 children of my own inside the operating rooms,” she said.
Mahmoudi added that the Dh1-million prize will be used to invest in long term solutions by training final year medical residents and healthcare professionals, expanding specialised care and building local medical capacity in Morocco.
Previously working in the banking sector, she gradually shifted her full focus to humanitarian work, dedicating her efforts to improving access to treatment, supporting families, and raising awareness to reduce the stigma surrounding the condition.
She was selected from a group of finalists alongside two other Arab humanitarians making a significant impact across the region. All three were awarded Dh1 million each to continue their work.
One of the other winners is Moroccan content creator Abdelrahman Al Raes, who has spent over 12 years supporting more than 7,000 widows by paying off debts and providing financial assistance to families in remote villages.
The third winner, Kuwaiti humanitarian Hind Al Hajri, left behind a stable career, steady income, and her life in Kuwait at the age of 34 to establish and run a home for orphaned children in Zanzibar.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Al Hajri said the transition was one of the biggest challenges, as she had to adapt to a completely different culture while being away from her family and familiar life.
Today, she cares for 47 children, with the youngest joining the home at just five years old.
As the number of children grew, Al Hajri said she did not try to replace a parental role, but instead focused on becoming a trusted adult figure in their lives.
“What these children need most is someone they can trust,” she said. “Many of them have been let down before, so I try to be the person they know will not abandon them.”
The announcement was made during the sixth edition of the Arab Hope Makers initiative, launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and operated under Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI).
Since 2017, the initiative has received more than 320,000 nominations, recognising individuals and organisations creating positive change across the Arab world.
Waad Barakat is a Special Correspondent covering security topics, from law enforcement to local courts. With a keen eye for human interest stories, she hopes to blend it all with unique Gen Z-inspired content.