Lamia Al Harmoudi (Sharjah)
His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Councilor and ruler of Sharjah, yesterday honored the organization “Seven Hills for Social Development”, the winner of the sixth session of the “Sharjah International Award for Advocacy and Support for Refugees”.
This happened 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 from the Big Heart Foundation and Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Muhammad Al Qasimi, wife of Hans His Highness The ruler of Sharjah, president of the Big Heart Foundation, a prominent advocate for refugee children with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
The victory of the “Seven Hills Organization for Social Development”, 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 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 the emotional and psychological aspects of refugees are as important as the nutritional, health and logistical aspects and ensure their sustainability. Through its young team, the organization has worked to formulate a support mechanism that integrates moral, developmental and psychological aspects into its activities, and has succeeded in implementing a number of different projects and non-formal education initiatives aimed at different age groups of children and young people, in addition to to transform unused public spaces into safe and innovative creative spaces that represent a drainage channel for young people and an outlet for their creative energies.
The award ceremony began with the playback of the national anthem and the screening of the opening film, whose message was inspired by a text excerpt 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 at the ceremony: “We meet today to honor a creative humanitarian organization that has gone beyond the boundaries of traditional work to reach the spirit and conscience of refugees and the needy. , and support their integration into the development of their community. ” 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, a member of the Supreme Council and ruler of Sharjah, draws his energy from the directives of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Muhammad Al Qasimi, chairman of the foundation and patron of its path. She said: “Because the approach to creativity is what we need to make the lives of refugees align with the highest humanitarian standards in any society, The Great Heart offers a financial grant to humanitarian organizations that adopt non-traditional projects. and takes care of the material needs of the refugees, and does not exclude emotional and intellectual needs, such as neglecting the emotional side of the refugees.On the other hand, it leads them to neglect their role in partnership and production with the host communities, as this aspect expresses love of life for them, so they love it in return and offer it the most beautiful thing they have. ”
Refugee support
Ayman Gharaibeh, Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, for his part, emphasized that the Sharjah International Award for Advocacy and Support for Refugees is a regional and global platform to highlight the outstanding humanitarian efforts made. by many organizations from around the world.It is a unique opportunity to provide an insight 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 lasted more than 10 years of goodness, with the contributions of Her Highness and the Foundation playing an effective role in alleviating the situation 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 a major indicator of the human tragedy that is deteriorating over the years. We can be sad when we remember that the UNHCR was established in 1951 with a 3-year mandate.Only at that time the world thought that the problems of expulsion would end in this short period, but the UNHCR continues to this day, and strives with tireless efforts to help refugees and displaced persons.
