Saudi Gazette Women were honored yet again for inspiring and making a difference in the lives of others according to a campaign “Spread Some Inspiration with Philadelphia”. The campaign launched by Kraft Foods highlights commendable achievements of women in the GCC. The inspirational campaigns finale event took place at the prestigious Emirates Golf Club, Royal Majlis in Dubai, where the judges announced the three winners. Maria Conceicao from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was awarded the Philadelphia's Most Inspiring Woman of the Year 2012 for her extraordinary contributions to her community. She received a cash prize of US$10,000 from Philadelphia Cream Cheese, which she has pledged to use to support her cause further. She won the title for founding the Dhaka Project and the Maria Christina Foundation in 2005, which came into existence to raise funds for impoverished communities in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Seven years after its creation, the foundation has successfully provided free education to over 700 children belonging to low income families. It aims to unlock and maximize human potential in developing countries and is involved in several current and planned projects. The projects help in the training and recruitment of qualified individuals to work in the education, healthcare, and community development sectors in these countries. Her pioneering nature in humanitarian efforts shines through in the relentless fundraising projects she has undertaken. She has managed to bring a group of eight children to UAE from Bangladesh and has provided them with opportunities to gain quality education which will enable them to start and live a better life. In addition, she is working on finding employment opportunities in Dubai for young adults who are ready to enter the work force. A total of 28 young men and women living under the poverty line in Dhaka are also being currently trained to be employed in the airline industry. First and second runners up Reem Shaath and Suad Al-Furaih respectively were both rewarded with US $5,000 each to support their philanthropic endeavors. They held no less luster than Conceiacao. Reem Shaath, a young Saudi woman, is a dynamic entrepreneur, avid traveler and mountaineer – with a humanitarian mission. She scales bold heights to spread the message of hope and compassion. She was part of a twelve-member team that took up the challenge to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa to raise money for the Palestine Children's Relief Fund. After enduring all the physical and mental exertion for the challenge, they managed to raise $570,000 which exceeded their target of $500,000. These funds helped in treating 2500 children who were directly affected by the war in Palestine. She has also successfully completed the Climb for Cancer and trekked the Everest base camp and raised US $320,000 for four pediatric cancer patients at the King Hussein Cancer Centre. “It's just a matter of deciding; once you put your mind to something and realize that a lot more people are not only relying on you, but that an even larger number can benefit immensely from your actions, things naturally fall into place,” said Shaath. Suad al Furaih is the first Arab woman to spread awareness about celiac disease, an auto-immune disorder of the small intestines that sharply reduces the absorption of nutrients from foods. Suad wrote a book “My Life with Celiac” to share with the world her personal experiences and how she managed to stay healthy in spite of the condition. With little information on the disease in the Arabic language, she was prompted to write the book. The book had a tremendous effect on those affected with the disease, who refer to it as a ‘life directory'. She is also the founder of Kuwaiti Celiac Patients Support Group to provide moral support and information to patients on the disease. During the announcement of the winners, Vishal Tikku, Managing Director of Kraft Foods in the Middle East, said, “The campaign by Philadelphia Cream Cheese has matured over the last three years and is one of the most widely revered women's campaigns in the region. It has amplified every year to provide a platform for the recognition of women across GCC in the fields of community work and philanthropy. The campaign is a brilliant showcase of the contributions women have made. Through the campaign, we have highlighted and touched the hearts of women across the GCC who are now inspired to contribute to the society and people around them, thereby making the entire campaign truly an inspirational one.” __
