Abu Dhabi A new book, 67 Inspiring Stories, focusses on 67 ordinary UAE men and women who have made a difference to the community.
An initiative of the Nahtam Social Responsibility Group Abu Dhabi, the book will be unveiled by Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, on June 3.
“67 Inspiring Stories is inspired by Nelson Mandela’s UN address, asking people to set aside 67 minutes for community work. The community heroes featured in the book include entrepreneurs, students, and office goers who do humanitarian service in their own little ways. These men and women prove that one does not have to be rich to help someone. All you need is a big heart,” said George Itty, co-founder and CEO of Nahtam Social Responsibility.
British expat Gwyneth Pritchard, head of the committee that shortlisted the community heroes said: “We had over 3,800 entries from UAE residents, but we had to limit it to 67 stories.
XPRESS gets you the lowdown on some of them.
Hania Ghassan Maraoush
Hania started the Inspire Sports Management in October 2011 to provide sporting facilities for women and children in Abu Dhabi. So what’s the big deal, you’d wonder? Well, this company combines sports and charity in a few unique ways. “Every year, we have a volleyball league for women, proceeds of which go to charity. Another initiative is master-classes in fitness and training by celebrities. This year we got Laila Ali (legendary boxer Mohammad Ali’s daughter) for a two-hour power combat session. We sold around 500 tickets priced between Dh150-Dh200, with proceeds going to Operation Smile (a charity organisation that provides free surgeries to repair cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities for children around the globe).
Salwa Al Hammadi
Emirati banker Salwa Al Hammadi has been rescuing injured and abandoned cats since she was a teen. “One day I heard a weird sound as I came out of my house and realised it was an injured cat with a broken leg crying in pain. I got in touch with a vet to treat the cat.
“Ever since, I have been picking up injured and abandoned cats and treating them with a vet,” said Al Hammadi, who currently shelters over 38 cats in her villa in Dubai.
Rasha Ahmad Ali Abd Rabu
Yemeni expat Rasha Ahmad Ali Abd Rabu, 26, who holds a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering at Masdar Institute, invented a reactor to convert cooking oil into bio-diesel. “Everyday, around 80 tonnes of waste oil is generated in Abu Dhabi. If we can convert this into bio-diesel, not only will it help reduce the impact on the environment but also provide a platform for sustainable resource consumption. With the help of my professors I developed a reactor tube specifically for the conversion,” said Rasha.
Martina Venus
German expat Martina Venus, Director of PR and Marketing for Sheraton Abu Dhabi, has undertaken a number of initiatives with her colleagues at the hotel to help the needy around the world. “As a corporate policy, every week we have an email-free day to encourage staff to communicate personally with each other. However, we realised there were violators and hence started fining them Dh10 per email. “So far we have collected Dh30,000, which has gone towards supporting an orphanage in Kenya and Tanzania and sponsoring the education of an orphan in South Africa. We have also bought two wheelchairs for children in Iraq.
Martina and her colleagues also helped raise Dh210,000 for Operation Smile UAE through ten flea markets in the hotel.
Premi Mathew
Two years ago, when Indian expat Premi Mathew started a Facebook campaign ‘Protect Your Mother’ to raise awareness of breast cancer, little did she know the impact it would have on millions around the world. “I was surprised that many women did not even know how to do a self-examination. We have reached out to young children who are now pestering their moms to get regular breast examinations done. “Our youngest volunteer is an eight-year-old boy who knows more about breast cancer than an adult. We have run campaigns where young boys went bald to spread awareness about breast cancer. We have also had girls donating their hair for chemo patients.”
Jaffer Irfan Saadat
Jaffer Irfan Saadat, 11 and a Grade 6 student of the American Community School, comes from a family of recycling activists and it is no surprise that this young boy has followed the family tradition. “At our house, everything is recycled, from paper, plastic, glass and even food. Only hard meat is thrown away. And to be more precise, we waste only around five kg a week. Everything else in our house is re-used one way or the other. I used to go door to door and talk to neighbours on the benefits of re-cycling. Later I decided to do this on a bigger platform. My mother spoke to Mushrif Mall management group who were kind enough to give us free space. I set up a table and discussed the importance of re-cycling with many visitors.”
Hannah Nishat Botero
When Hannah Nishat Botero, 15, was diagnosed with diabetes four years ago she began writing poetry. The Pakistani-Colombian expat has now published a book of 34 poems Hannah Banana’s Book of Poems. “When I decided to publish the book, I decided to donate the proceeds to charities dealing with children afflicted with diabetes,” she said. The book is priced at Dh70.
