Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid to Honour Arab Hope Maker at Gala Award Ceremony.

UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum will honour the Arab World’s biggest hope maker at a gala award ceremony held in Dubai. The Arab Hope Maker will be selected after submissions from over 65,000 people in 22 countries were reviewed in the initiative, which falls under the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI).

A representative from MBRGI said, “Today we celebrate and honour the unsung heroes of the Arab World, the ones who give us hope. We celebrate all 65,000 stories of hope, inspiration and altruism; we celebrate the spirit of optimism, and we refuse to submit to despair, however difficult our circumstances are. We are proud to highlight the stories of some of the Arab World’s most inspiring people here today.”

“The Arab Hope Makers initiative is in line with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s vision to spread hope across the Arab World, asserting that hope provides the foundation for stability and paves the path for us to reignite our civilisation.”

“The initiative aims to transform the Arab mentality from one of complacency, waiting for luck to happen, to one of proactivity and optimism. As Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid says, “Luck does not make men; men make their luck.” Our Arab Hope Makers are the inspiring role models who created their luck and spread their optimism.”

The representative continued, “Hope gives us strength, stability and progress; it is the most powerful force, capable of transforming societies and peoples. It is more critical for us today than ever to embrace the spirit of hope and spread it among our communities.”

“The Arab Hope Makers initiative is proof of the fact that there is a lot of good happening in this part of the world. Regardless of the challenges we are facing, positive people work hard and do not despair – this is not strange to our culture. We hope that the stories shared at the event inspire people to embrace a positive outlook and become champions of hope themselves.”

At the Arab Hope Makers closing ceremony, one person will be honoured as the region’s biggest hope maker, and will receive a reward of one million AED. Jury members, who will vote for the winner, will include UAE Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi; Dean of the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Communications and Group TV Director of MBC Ali Jaber and media personality Ahmad Al Shugairi, known for his passionate advocacy of philanthropy and improving the Arab World. Renowned entertainer Mohammed Assaf, a group of children from MBC’s “The Voice Kids” and violinist Jihad Akl will make special performances.

The Arab Hope Makers initiative, which was launched on March 1st as part of the Year of Giving, garnered 65,489 nominations in one month only. Volunteer-based initiatives were most common with 29% of nominations, followed by youth-focused initiatives at 19.6%, education at 19.1%, health-sector at 9.1%, media initiatives at 7.3%, and the remaining 15.9% dispersed across various sectors.

Twenty-two Arab countries nominated people in their communities; the highest amount of nominations came from Egypt with 22.3%, followed by Saudi Arabia with 17%, the UAE with 10.9%, Jordan with 9%, Morocco with 6.5%, Palestine with 4.8%, Iraq with 4.5%, Syria with 4.4%, Algeria with 4.2% and Kuwait with 3.6%. The remaining 12.8% were distributed between Yemen, Lebanon, Sudan, Oman, Tunisia, Bahrain, Libya, Qatar, Mauritania, Somalia, Comoros and Djibouti.

The Arab Hope Makers initiative targeted young citizens specifically; it aimed to inspire the youth to embrace humanitarianism and dedicate their time to serving others, and to spreading hope.