Lamia Al Harmoudi (Sharjah)
His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, honored yesterday the “Seven Hills for Social Development” organization, the winner of the sixth session of the “Sharjah International Award for Advocacy and Support for Refugees”.
This came during a ceremony held at the House of Wisdom in Sharjah, in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, the Humanitarian Envoy of the Big Heart Foundation, and Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Muhammad Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, President of the Big Heart Foundation, a prominent advocate for refugee children With the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
The victory of the “Seven Hills Organization for Social Development”, which is based in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is the victory of the Sharjah International Award for Advocacy and Support for Refugees in its session this year, which was awarded 500,000 dirhams, “a special contribution from the Big Heart Foundation”, in honor of its pioneering role in achieving Integration with humanitarian institutions that provide the basic needs of refugees in Jordan, where she led qualitative humanitarian efforts that believe that the emotional and psychological aspects of refugees are as important as the nutritional, health and logistical aspects and ensure their sustainability. The organization, through its young team, worked on formulating a support mechanism that integrates moral, developmental and psychological aspects into its activities, and succeeded in implementing a number of diverse projects and non-formal education initiatives targeting different age groups of children and youth, in addition to transforming unused public space into Safe and innovative creative spaces that represent an outlet for young people and an outlet for their creative energies.
The award ceremony began with the playing of the national anthem and the screening of the inaugural film, whose message was inspired by a text excerpted from a poem by the poet Mahmoud Darwish, “We love life if we can find it.”
Maryam Al Hammadi, Director of the Big Heart Foundation, said in her speech during the ceremony: “We meet today to honor a creative humanitarian organization that has gone beyond the limits of traditional work to reach the spirit and conscience of refugees and the needy, and support their integration into the development of their societies.” She added that this honor embodies the vision of the award, which in its work is inspired by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and derives its energy from the directives of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Muhammad Al Qasimi, President of the Foundation and patron of its path. She said: “Because the approach of creativity is what we need to make the lives of refugees commensurate with the highest humanitarian standards in every society, the Great Heart offers a financial grant to humanitarian organizations that adopt non-traditional projects, and take care of the refugees’ material needs, and do not exclude emotional and intellectual needs, as neglecting the emotional side of refugees On the other hand, it leads to their neglect of their role in partnership and production with the host communities, as this aspect expresses the love of life for them so that they love it in return and offer it the most beautiful thing they have.”
Refugee Support
For his part, Ayman Gharaibeh, Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, stressed that the Sharjah International Award for Advocacy and Support for Refugees is a regional and global platform to highlight the outstanding humanitarian efforts undertaken by many organizations from all over the world. It is a unique opportunity to offer a glimpse into the lives of refugees and displaced persons and the challenges they face, as well as their determination and hope for a better future. He said: “Our partnership with Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi and the Big Heart Foundation has passed more than 10 years of goodness, during which the contributions of Her Highness and the Foundation played an effective role in alleviating the plight of refugees and displaced people in many areas.” He added: “The world is witnessing an unprecedented increase in the number of people forced to flee their homes, which has exceeded 100 million, which is an important indicator of the human tragedy that is exacerbating over the years. We may be sad whenever we remember that the UNHCR was established in 1951 with a 3-year mandate. Only, at that time, the world believed that the problems of displacement would end in this short period, but the UNHCR remains to this day, striving with unremitting efforts to help refugees and displaced persons.
#Sultan #Qasimi #honors #Hills #Social #Development #organization