A VOLUNTEERING project that brings together skilled workers such as teachers, nurses, carpenters and other professionals to help thousands of low-income families in Bahrain has won a top competition.
The winners of the Royal Humanitarian Foundation (RHF) competition were announced yesterday during an event held at Art Hotel and Resort, under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad’s representative for humanitarian work and youth affairs Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
More than 150 projects were submitted of which six were finally shortlisted and honoured by RHF secretary general Dr Mustafa Al Sayed.
They were selected by a panel of judges and through public voting.
The competition was aimed at encouraging new initiatives that would help local charities and further promote humanitarian work.
Sanad (support), the project by Bahraini couple Mohannad Al Noaimi and his wife Maysa, won the top prize of BD2,000 cash.
“We created a special mobile application that allows skilled workers like teachers, carpenters, nurses, plumbers and even doctors to directly meet the needs of thousands of low-income families supported by the RHF,” Mr Al Noaimi told the GDN.
“For example, if a family requires a teacher for their children, they can scan this application and a professional who signed up for volunteering will help them.
“Some of these low-income families face difficulties to find workers or even pay them.”
According to the RHF website, it supports 11,000 beneficiaries (orphans and widows) and provides healthcare to 8,311 individuals.
Mr Al Noaimi said to encourage professionals they set up a special section on the app that allows them to log in the volunteering hours. “A person completing 50 hours receives a bronze star, silver for 100 hours and gold for 150 hours.
“In addition, a volunteer completing more than 200 hours of community service receives a special medal.
“I would like this application to be a one-stop shop for volunteer work in the country so that it rallies the community together in time of need.”
The second prize of BD1,500 was won by Bahraini Hassan Al Mosawi for his “iHand” project – an online platform that connects people with special needs and authorities concerned to enhance their skills, integrate them closer into the community and elevate their skills in terms of work opportunities as well as break all barriers.
The third prize of BD1,000 was given to Eyad Al Sameer for his ‘Accessible Beaches’ project, which aims to create infrastructure on beaches across the country to allow people with special needs or the elderly to visit and enjoy.
Other projects honoured included a mobile app, Give to Save, created by Kawthar Abdulnabi that links patients with donors.
Patients can register their blood type on the app and when hospitals or blood banks require that blood type it connects them directly with those registered on the app, and the donor receives a text message.
Another medical project that was honoured was by a group of citizens including Bahrain Society for Sickle Cell Disease Patient Care chairman Zakreya Al Kadhem.
“Our project aims to collect hundreds of unused medications in households that could actually help save lives of those in need,” said Mr Al Kadhem.
“The idea is to have a drop box or door-to-door service where people can contact us to collect medications that can be exported or even collect expired medications that can be properly disposed in dedicated facilities.”
Another online platform honoured was Absher (loosely translated as, consider it done) created by Haneen Al Doy that links low-income families supported by RHF to provide their services while charging fees to the community and earn additional income.
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