Aisha Saeed Hareb, founder of charity group Social Bandage
Honoured for: charitable initiatives
“It is a great honour to be awarded by the leaders of the UAE. Today’s recognition is just the beginning for more achievements to come. We are inspired by the leaders of our country who have opened the doors for us —especially among the youth — giving us all possible opportunities and listening to our ideas on how we can help and give back to the community. I founded Social Bandage back in 2013 with the aim of using it as an online platform to help different causes. People can visit our website and purchase items after which, all the funds collected are used for charitable initiatives.”
Sonia Al Hashemi, founder of Down Syndrome Association
Honoured for: Work and programmes to help people with special needs
“It was my son who inspired me to establish the Down Syndrome Association in the UAE as he was born with down syndrome. I also love to help people, and so I decided to form the association to give advice based on my own experiences with how I helped my son who is now a young man. I believe it is fundamental to never stop giving back to the community; volunteering never stops until the last days of our lives, and so it is important to help all people who need assistance, to bring a positive change in their lives. It’s a big honour for me to receive the Pioneer Award.”
Tareq Al Gurg, chief executive officer at Dubai Cares
Honoured for: Supporting education in developed countries
“Dubai Cares has been involved in supporting the education sector in developing countries for the last 10 years, and through our work, we have provided education to more than 16 million children in 45 countries. We have a number of different programmes that we carry out, including building classrooms and also supplying schools with the necessary educational materials they need. Receiving this award today is a great recognition of the fantastic work our team has done over the last decade. Our next goal is to add to the work that we are already doing; we want to enhance and provide skills for young people to help them with jobs, and so it’s really all about youth empowerment.”
Bedour Al Raqabani, owner and founder of Kalimati, a speech and communication centre for special needs children
Honoured for: Her work in helping young children with special needs
“I founded Kalimati seven years ago with the full support of my family after my daughter was born deaf. I knew I had to do something to ensure that she grew up having the best education just like I did. Winning the Pioneer Award today is a very special feeling. I am very happy because my work is being recognised by the leadership of the country, and it just proves to me that the work I am doing is getting good results. There is still a lot of work to be done, to continue raising the awareness in schools and the community, and to provide the emotional support that families need. There is an amazing movement in the UAE at the moment, the whole terminology has also been changed from special needs people to people of determination, and this is creating a very strong ripple effect within the community.”
Abdullah Ahmad Al Ghurair, leading UAE businessman
Honoured for: his educational foundation. Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, chief executive of Mashreq bank, said the father donated a third of his assets to an educational foundation as part of a charity drive.
“The foundation aims to spend Dh4.2 billion or $1.1 billion over the next 10 years on educating underprivileged UAE and Arab youths. The assets donated by Al Ghurair will be utilised to equipping Arab youth with the knowledge and skills they need to become the leaders of tomorrow and drive the sustainable development of their communities.” The foundation will invest in innovative high-impact programmes that improve the quality of education at the primary and secondary levels while also helping a minimum of 15,000 promising Arab youth from underprivileged backgrounds pursue quality higher education for a value of Dh4.2 billion over 10 years.
Saeed Al Raqabani
Honoured for: establishing Fujairah Welfare Association
“We are all children of the UAE, which has become a role model for humanitarian assistance under the directives and guidance of UAE’s leaders in providing humanitarian aid to people and countries in need worldwide. The Fujairah Welfare Association’s charitable projects provide assistance to needy families in Fujairah and the East Coast and we are all dedicated volunteers in these efforts. Volunteer work helps the association do more. One of our programmes was the productive families project. There were small projects which improved people’s conditions. The association also gives assistance to university students.
Juma Al Majid
Honoured for: Setting up Al Ahliya Charity Schools
“The honour today is not mine; it is indeed for the entire people of the UAE who share their money and kindness with other people both inside the country and abroad. Charity schools cater to the children of low-income Arab expatriates. The Charity School initiative was established in 1983, in response to the decision by the Dubai Government to exclude non-Emirati children from the public education system.”
Two schools were created initially, one for boys and one for girls, with greatly reduced private school fees, allowing the children of low income families access to education.
Munzir Al Muzaki Al Shamsi
Honoured for: using social media for humanitarian service
“The UAE government was the first to realise the immense potential of social media. Social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook should be used to pass on useful information and I used these platforms to coordinate between humanitarian cases, hospitals and donors.
Mohammad Atiq Al Falahi
Accepted medal on behalf of Emirates Red Crescent
“The UAE, under the leadership of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, plays a pivotal role in responding to disasters and alleviating human suffering worldwide. The UAE Pioneers Award enhances the humanitarian approach the UAE has adopted to help people who suffer from various calamities across the world. The values of goodness and generosity are rooted in the hearts of our people who have followed the footsteps of the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The Red Crescent Authority will continue to discharge the humanitarian responsibilities placed on it under all circumstances.”
Mohammad Hamdan Al Junaibi
Honoured: As a member of the Good Companion Group, a charity initiative
“The family of Hamdan Abdullah Al Junaibi set up the Good Companion Group in 1997. The Group follows in the footsteps of the Emirates Red Crescent.
The group, made up of 20 members, provides Ramadan meals, cloth and school bags to the needy. We also contributed to the Yemen initiative in coordination with the Emirates Red Crescent. Assistance is provided to more than 200 underprivileged families in the UAE.”
