Iraqi pharmacist Tala Al Khalil was named the 2024 winner of the Arab Hope Makers award on Sunday night.
She and three other finalists will each receive a prize of Dh1 million in recognition of their humanitarian work
The major award was established by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to honour people in the Arab world who dedicate their lives to humanitarian work.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid crowned the four finalists during a ceremony at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.
“In our part of the world, hope-making is life-making. The only way we can overcome challenges is through collaborative efforts,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
“Hope for a better future is what keeps people going. Every new generation bears the responsibility of creating a better reality in their communities.
"On the other hand, spreading despair is our major challenge, which is why we need to continue to nurture hope, optimism and positivity among the new generation.”
Ms Al Khalil started her journey as a hope maker in 2015, when she started receiving young cancer patients in a special "caravan" at the Basra Children’s Hospital, helping them to overcome challenges associated with their illness, including studying and inclusion in society.
The initiative offered children with cancer hope and optimism away from the hard reality of treatments and hospital wards.
It was the start that inspired Ms Al Khalil to establish her Warriors Academy in 2018, to care for young people of determination who suffer from various illnesses.
She personally cares for 200 children with Down syndrome and cancer, and has been nicknamed "Mother of Warriors".
“I know the feeling of a person losing someone," Ms Al Khalil told The National. "The real mother is the shelter who won't surrender.
"I wanted to support the people of determination and [those who] have cancer. I hope the prize will help me to expand the academy and host more than 500 children.
"I believe in the role of good mental health in enhancing immunity and the body’s ability to fight illness.”
The initiative attracted more than 58,000 nominations from across the region, with proceeds from the closing ceremony set to go towards humanitarian causes.
Aiming to shine a light on acts of generosity and goodwill that transform lives and communities, the awards' fourth edition was announced in June last year, with people able to nominate themselves.
More than 12,000 people attended the event, among them top humanitarian and cultural personalities from the Arab world.
Artists Hussein Al Jassmi, Ahlam and Asala performed live at the closing ceremony.
The finalists
Dr Mohamed Al Najjar, 37, from Iraq, lost his leg in 2014. A fan of football since his childhood, he turned this tragedy into motivation for change and hope.
While studying for his doctorate in England, he joined the Portsmouth football team for amputees, excelled and made a name for himself, winning the title of the club’s best player in 2019.
On returning to Iraq, he formed a football team of amputees that went on to compete in international friendly matches, qualifying for the 2022 Amputee Football World Cup in Turkey just a year after its formation.
Thanks to Dr Al Najjar's relentless efforts to motivate his team members and help them to rise above their injuries, the Iraqi team now ranks 19th globally out of 70 amputee football teams.
Moroccan YouTuber Amin Imnir's social media account Faysboki strives to improve living conditions for underprivileged Moroccans.
Heading the Aftas Society for Development and Solidarity, Imnir has sponsored several humanitarian initiatives and aid campaigns in his country, documenting his efforts through his Faysboki TV channel to help spread the culture of humanitarian work and motivate others to join.
Aftas’s list of achievements includes the distribution of more than 1,000 solar panels, more than 4,500 food parcels to poor families including widows and orphans, the financing of 217 surgical operations in 2023 and the planting of 2,800 fruitful trees.
Known as "the mother of orphans" and "Mama Fathiya", Egyptian hope maker Fathiya Al Mahmoud offers an inspiring example of selfless giving and nurturing hope.
In 2005, Ms Al Mahmoud and her husband of 35 years decided to adopt 34 orphan girls.
The two founded the A Touch of Hope society to care for orphans, raising, educating and inspiring 34 girls without any outside help.
Realising that raising that number of girls is a challenging endeavour, Ms Al Mahmoud dived deep into the world of nurturing children and how to care for girls’ physical and mental needs.
In addition to their work in caring for orphans, the couple established a charity hospital that offers free health care to orphans and people of determination.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
SPECS
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 178hp at 5,500rpm
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EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Empty Words
By Mario Levrero
(Coffee House Press)
Company%20Profile
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How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Awar Qalb
Director: Jamal Salem
Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman
Two stars
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Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
Brief scores
Barcelona 2
Pique 36', Alena 87'
Villarreal 0
RESULTS
1.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winners: Hyde Park, Royston Ffrench (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
2.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Shamikh, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
2.45pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Hurry Up, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.15pm: Shadwell Jebel Ali Mile Group 3 (TB) Dh575,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Blown by Wind, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
3.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh72,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Mazagran, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
4.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh64,000 (D) 1,950m
Winner: Obeyaan, Adrie de Vries, Mujeeb Rehman
4.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Shanaghai City, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
