Searching for the selfless

Abu Dhabi // Farida Siddiqui can remember wanting to help others even as a child. If she saw an injured bird she would try to nurse it back to health. If she heard of anyone in trouble, she would do her best to offer whatever assistance she could. Now, decades later, the grandmother is one of the country's best known humanitarians. Every morning, she packs a few parcels of frozen water bottles, chopped fruit and boiled eggs and hands them out to those in need - usually construction workers, street cleaners or gardeners.

She visits the sick in hospitals, teaches refugee children and, through a vast network of friends and family, raises funds to lift the capital's desperate cases out of poverty. The tales of those Mrs Siddiqui has helped are countless. Last month, she came across an unidentified Bangladeshi patient at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City. The man was in a coma and had no identification or documents. Touched by his plight, she contacted an influential executive from Adnoc, who agreed to help track down the man's family.

After four weeks his wife and children were located on a remote island, starving to death. Mrs Siddiqui came to their rescue and now regularly sends money so they can buy food. Another Abu Dhabi woman, whose husband is brain-dead, relies on Mrs Siddiqui's charity for her rent and her son's schooling. "I just see people in need and I can't leave them," she said. "My main source of help is my husband, God bless him, then my large group of friends."

Mrs Siddiqui does not have to go directly to friends and acquaintances for money to fund her activities. She does not need to. People who hear of her work regularly leave anonymous donations with the watchman at her villa. A volunteer with the Red Crescent Society, she has worked with injured soldiers, negotiated with employers on behalf of labourers and raised money for patients who needed life-saving surgeries.

Her good deeds have not gone unnoticed. Last year, she was one of nine people given an Abu Dhabi Award, which recognises individuals who have made a positive contribution to society through their kindness and generosity. The awards, now in their fourth year, are presented under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. The campaign to find this year's winners will begin during Ramadan, during which the spirit of giving is as important as the act of fasting. Maryam Amiri, from the Abu Dhabi Awards organising committee, said: "We are trying to locate the unsung heroes. People who do good deeds rarely talk about it themselves so we want to encourage their friends, colleagues and family to put them forward. We want to honour those outstanding people in society who go above and beyond the call of duty. People like Mrs Siddiqui." Mrs Siddiqui is now an official ambassador for the Abu Dhabi Awards, as is Emad Saad, another of last year's winners. Mr Saad is an engineer with Abu Dhabi Municipality, but he spends his spare time on an "environmental mission". When he arrived in Abu Dhabi 12 years ago, Mr Saad decided to spearhead his own campaign to raise awareness about the environment. His main focus was to teach younger people about the importance of looking after the planet for future generations. "I believe we are all partners in sharing the task of protecting our environment," he said. "Every individual and every governmental office has a responsibility towards it." Mr Saad has organised beach clean-up campaigns, taken students on desert camping trips, and written opinion columns in various newspapers. His message attracted a lot of attention and, in 2001, Abu Dhabi Municipality partnered with Mr Saad to launch Al Bee Al Sagheer, or The Young Environmentalist - an online information portal and printed newsletter that informs people about ways to be eco-friendly. The newsletter is also distributed to public schools in Abu Dhabi. Since winning the award in 2007, Mr Saad has contributed even more hours to the cause. "Giving to society through volunteer work is one of the most noble aspects of humanitarian work," he said. "In the end, I believe in a message. This message is more important to me than an award. "My intention was not to win anything because any individual who has a passion for giving, doesn't do it for a prize." Mr Saad, who has a large family, believes charity begins at home and says the spirit of giving is fostered first and foremost within the family. Three of his children Adones, 17, Tyama, 14, and Naya, 11, have won awards for volunteer work in Sharjah. "Of course I am very proud of them and I believe I have taught them the key to volunteer work - time management," he said. "We all have 24 hours in a day - nothing more and nothing less. But the crucial part, the key, is managing your time wisely. Volunteer work cannot be successful and all-encompassing if it is haphazard. "You have to set up a plan. Know your strengths and channel your efforts, but also be wise with your time." For people like Mr Saad and Mrs Siddiqui, it seems like there are never enough hours in the day and, if the number of nominations received each year by the awards committee is anything to go by, there are many people carrying out similar acts of charity on a daily basis. Ms Amiri made it clear the awards were not a popularity contest: "We want to recognise the actual deeds rather than the person, so we do not make this a voting process, it is simply a nomination campaign. "A winner need only be mentioned by one other person. We make sure we dedicate plenty of time to investigate every nomination and that way we are sure we are locating the true local heroes. It is really important that others help us to find these people." Last year, 34,000 nominations were received, the majority from men. However, Ms Amiri wants to encourage women, students, executives and westerners to put forward their suggestions this year. "We want to hear from all ages and nationalities," she said. "As well as through word of mouth and media advertisements we are trying to reach as many people through the internet. "There will be a group on the networking site Facebook and a new website called the Wall of Goodness where people will be able to pledge their good intentions." Nominations open on Sept 7 for four weeks. Anyone wanting to put someone forward can do so by telephone, fax, mail or email. There will also be 111 collection points located across the emirate in malls, banks, government departments, hospitals and ministries. A fleet of small Smart cars will also tour the streets of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain as roaming nomination stations and can be flagged down by pedestrians or other drivers. "The idea is that we open up the nomination channels to absolutely everyone," said Ms Amiri. "I'd hate for someone to have wanted to put someone forward but wasn't able to find a way. The fact that we are opening up the nominations during Ramadan is also really important. People are even more giving at this time and it is a perfect time to appreciate the most charitable people in our community." @email:aseaman@thenational.ae @email:talramahi@thenational.ae