Dubai: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has called upon hope makers in the Arab world as the fourth edition of Arab Hope Makers initiative for 2023 kicks off.
The largest initiative of its kind in the Arab region, the Hope Makers initiative celebrates individuals and institutions who seek to help others through humanitarian and charity efforts. The initiative acknowledges Hope Makers’ projects and campaigns that aim to improve communities, promote quality of life, aid the afflicted and generally make a positive difference in the lives of those around them by dedicating their resources, skills and capabilities for the good of others.
Honouring deeds
On his Twitter account, Sheikh Mohammed wrote: “Hope is strength. It is the driver of change and the secret to new beginnings. Hope is to go on giving and to seize opportunities. It is an infinite source of good for humanity.”
He added: “We continue to seek hope makers to highlight their efforts and honour their deeds. When talk of conflict, desperation and negativity prevails across the region, we talk about hope, charity and positive change in our communities. There are thousands of hope makers in every city and village; all we need to do is shed a light on them.
“Today, Arab Hope Makers kicks off its 4th edition so we can celebrate them and acknowledge their achievements. We call upon you to send your nominations via arabhopemakers.com if you see yourself or someone you know as a Hope Maker.”
Nomination process
Organised by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, the Hope Makers initiative targets all Arab individuals and institutions who, voluntarily and without seeking financial or material gains, have a creative and impactful project, programme, campaign or initiative that aims to improve a certain aspect in the community, alleviate the suffering of those in need, solve a local challenge or enhance the quality of life for a specific segment of the community.
Potential Hope Makers can nominate themselves or be nominated by others who find them worthy of the title. The winner will be receiving a Dh1 million prize.
The fourth edition of Arab Hope Makers welcomes applications through the website (www.arabhopemakers.com), aiming to collect tens of thousands of stories of hope in the Arab world, highlighting their heroes and celebrating their efforts.
Following the submission deadline, several committees are formed to examine, assess and verify the submissions, which are categorised and further evaluated. Simultaneously, documented stories of Hope Makers are posted across the initiatives social media channels, as well as other media, so that people can learn about and interact with them.
Nominees will go through several qualifying stages where they are closely evaluated and their projects examined, before the final round and the announcement of the Arab Hope Maker titleholder in Dubai.
Rigorous criteria
The Hope Makers initiative adopts rigorous criteria for the acceptance and qualification of nominees, including the requirement that nominated initiatives are original and innovative, offering a quality approach to the cause it targets. Nominated initiatives should also contribute to improving the lives of concerned populations, make a positive difference in the targeted community, help a marginalised group of people or alleviate the suffering of those in need. The initiatives should be sustainable, scalable, impactful and measurable.
On the other hand, Hope Makers considered for the title should be known in their communities for their humanitarian and social activism and must dedicate their resources to their initiatives voluntarily and without expecting any material gains.
244,000 Hope Makers
Since its launch in 2017, the Hope Makers initiative has attracted 244,000 nominations. The first edition saw over 65,000 nominations, 20 of which made it to the final round and five received Dh1 million each, making the Hope Makers award the world’s most expensive of its kind.
The 2nd edition saw 87,000 nominations, while the 3rd attracted 92,00 nominations from 38 countries.
With a mission to spread hope and fight desperation across the region, the Hope Makers initiative aims to instil a culture of giving, generosity and positive change. It adopts MBRGI’s vision of creating hope, supporting charity efforts and mobilising efforts, resources and capabilities to advance communities and empower individuals for a better future.
