Bahrain : The concluding ceremony of the 11th edition of the HH Shaikh Isa bin Ali Award for Voluntary Work was held today under the patronage and in the presence of Cabinet Affairs Ministry’s Undersecretary and Honorary President of the Good Word Society, His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa.
Organised by the Good word Society in cooperation with the Arab Voluntary Union via Zoom, the celebration was attended by several ministers, officials and the Board of Directors Chairman of the Good Word Society Arab Union for Voluntary Work President, Hassan Bu Hazza, in addition to the honourees, including pioneers of voluntary work in the kingdom.
Addressing the award-distribution ceremony, HH Shaikh Isa bin Ali affirmed that the kingdom, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and upon directives from His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, has showcased its international status through its outstanding success in combating the novel Coronavirus pandemic, paying tribute to Team Bahrain, led by HRH Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for their success in putting in place effective precautionary measures to eliminate the pandemic, earning it the praise of international health organisations, and becoming a role model to be emulated at the international level in this field.
HH Shaikh Isa bin Ali recalled the contributions of the late His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa to humanitarian and voluntary work, which, he said, played a major role in ensuring the continuity of his award for voluntary work, as well as in encouraging and honouring the pioneers of charity and voluntary work in the kingdom.
HH Shaikh Isa bin Ali added that the award is dedicated it to the frontliner for the second year in a row in recognition of their efforts and tremendous contribution to alleviating the impact of the pandemic on the Kingdom, congratulating all the winners.
The Cabinet Affairs Ministry’s Undersecretary commended the role played by Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of HM the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), in advancing Bahraini women in all fields, extending sincere congratulations to HRH Princess Sabeeka on the SCW’s 20th anniversary.
HH Shaikh Isa bin Ali indicated that a new category had been added to the award to honour female volunteers, marking the SCW’s anniversary.
During the ceremony, the award was granted to those who have contributed to the implementation of the kingdom’s strategies to combat the pandemic and mitigate its impacts on the nation and the citizens.
The honouree list included the National Medical Taskforce for Combating Coronavirus (COVID-19), the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance and National Economy, the Ministry of Labour and Social Development, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, the Ministry of Information Affairs, the Bahrain Defence Force, the Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs, the Supreme Council for Women, Information and e-Government Authority, Labour Fund Authority (Tamkeen), the Royal Humanitarian Foundation and General Directorate of Civil Defence.
The award was also granted to a number of national competencies at the frontline of the fight against the pandemic in recognition of their dedicated work and sacrificies, including the Royal Medical Services Commander at the Military Hospital, Professor Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa, CEO of the Government Hospitals and National Medical Taskforce member, Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Al-Ansari, Health Ministry’s Undersecretary and National Medical Taskforce member, Dr. Waleed Khalifa Al-Manae, Industry, Commerce and Tourism Ministry’s Undersecretary for Control and Resources, Mohammed Abdulaziz Al Ashraf, Infectious Diseases Consultant and Microbiologist at the BDF Hospital and National Medical Taskforce member, Lieutenant-Colonel Dr. Manaf Al Qahtani, Infectious Diseases Consultant at the Salmaniya Medical Complex and National Medical Taskforce member, Dr. Jameela Al Salman, Director of Inspection and Occupational Safety at the Ministry of Labour and Social Development, Mustafa Aqeel Abdulla Al-Shaikh, and the Director of the Family and Child Development Directorate at the Ministry of Labour and Social Development, Aisha Mohammed Al-Zayed.
The “HH Shaikh Isa bin Ali Award for Voluntary Work” was conferred on the Al-Mabarrah Al-Khalifia Foundation, in recognition of its community role, humanitarian and charitable efforts, and its excellence in the field of voluntary work through many initiatives and programmes in various regions of the Kingdom, in addition to its efforts in the field of education and youth empowerment.
The Bahrain Women Development Society, Al-Kawthar Society for Social Welfare and the Bahraini Association for Intellectual Disability and Autism also won the award in the “Best Institutional Voluntary Performance” category for the sustainable development programmes they are implementing.
It is worth noting that the “His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa.” is granted in September of each year, in conjunction with the Arab Volunteer Day celebrations.
It is organised by the Good Word Society in cooperation with the Arab Voluntary Union, and it aims to encourage young people to provide innovative solutions through voluntary work to face challenges and crises.
