Qatar Foundation (QF) has announced three finalists for its 2018 Akhlaquna Award, and is encouraging members of the community to vote via the initiative’s dedicated website, akhlaquna.qa/en.
Voting for the 2018 Akhlaquna Award closes at 12pm on May 1.
The winner will be officially announced during QF’s Convocation ceremony later that evening.
The finalists for the inaugural award are:
- Abdulaziz al-Ansari, who is working to spread peace and mercy through his programme ‘No Difference Between Us’; 
- Siwar al-Dahab’s initiative ‘Mercy In Giving’, which aims to promote the value of mercy; and 
- The Green Maasai Troupe, a community-based group whose overarching mission is to promote healthy lifestyles and protect the environment.
The three finalists were selected from more than 100 applications by three judges: Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s dean of College of Islamic Studies Dr Emad El-Din Shahin, Qatar Foundation for Social Work chief executive Amal al-Mannai, and Dr Jassim al-Sultan, director general at the Wijdan Cultural Centre, part of the Ministry of Culture and Sports.
Qatar Foundation president for Community Development Machaille al-Naimi said: “We received over a hundred nominations for the initiative, which was open to Qatari nationals and residents in Qatar, and could include local or international projects.
“Through Akhlaquna we aim to inspire the entire community and empower the next generation of leaders in Qatar by recognising and supporting projects that help build a better society.”
Al-Ansari’s “No Difference Between Us” programme, which has been running for six years, distributes food and water at construction sites across the country, working hard to establish social equality.
Al-Dahab aims to create a movement that unites various educational, health, and social sectors in an effort to tackle specific issues within society, and, in doing so, is working to ensure the value of mercy is adopted into daily practice.
Green Maasai Troupe was launched in 2011 by Peter Kimani, Samuel Nyuthi, and Zacccheus Njuguna, and today includes more than 50 members.
The group organises volunteering activities, hospital visits, donates clothes, recycles, and runs environmental conservation and awareness programmes.