The Arab Hope Makers award was established by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai. Photo: Twitter
The Arab Hope Makers award was established by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai. Photo: Twitter
The Arab Hope Makers award was established by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai. Photo: Twitter
The Arab Hope Makers award was established by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai. Photo: Twitter

Dh1 million Arab Hope Makers receives close to 15,000 submissions in three weeks


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A major UAE award championing humanitarianism and philanthropy across the region has received close to 15,000 submissions since its return was announced three weeks ago.

Arab Hope Makers, established by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, aims to shine a light on acts of generosity and goodwill that transform lives and communities.

People can nominate themselves or others for the Dh1 million award.

It was announced on Wednesday that 14,600 nominations have already been registered.

Sheikh Mohammed last month said the fourth round of the programme would seek to honour those bringing about “positive change in our societies”.

In a message shared on social media, he spoke of the importance of acknowledging the efforts of “thousands of hope makers” aiming to make a difference all over the region and beyond.

“We extend our search to all segments of society, aiming to celebrate these inspiring individuals, rejoice in their endeavours and highlight their remarkable accomplishments," he said.

Arab Hope Makers - in pictures

“Anyone who recognises goodness within themselves is encouraged to self-nominate or nominate others through our website.”

He underlined the need to showcase the goodness of humanity against a narrative of “pessimism and negativity” in the region.

“Hope embodies strength, propels change and holds the key to rejuvenation,” Sheikh Mohammed wrote.

“It represents the anticipation of the future, an ongoing act of giving, seizing opportunities, and an infinite wellspring of human kindness.

“We actively seek individuals who embody hope and contribute to its cultivation, in order to honour and showcase their exemplary role in our communities.

“While conversations may often revolve around conflicts, despair, pessimism, and negativity in our region, we prioritise discussions on hope, acts of kindness, and positive transformations within our societies. Countless hope instigators can be found in every city and village.”

An Emirati man who helped transform a hospital in Kenya into one of the most advanced facilities in the country was named the winner of the most recent Arab Hope Makers award in 2020.

Sheikh Mohammed presented Ahmed Al Falasi with the Dh1 million award after he was chosen from a list of five people shortlisted for their humanitarian work in education, health care and the environment.

Mr Al Falasi was chosen by popular vote from all who attended the event but Sheikh Mohammed also gave the four other contenders Dh1 million each in prize money.

More than 92,000 participants from 38 countries applied for the 2020 programme, with the final ceremony held at Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena.

People can apply for this year's award by visiting https://arabhopemakers.com/

EXPATS
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ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

Know your Camel lingo

The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home

Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless

Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers

Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s

Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company%20profile
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Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Updated: July 05, 2023, 12:54 PM`