SA’s Sooliman awarded Daily Trust African of the Year
Founder of Gift of the Givers recognised
Dr Imtiaz Sooliman has guided the Gift of the Givers Foundation for more than 30 years to respond to and dispatch humanitarian aid to disaster areas across the globe.
A South African doctor, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, has been declared winner of the 2023 Daily Trust African of the Year Award.
Sooliman was chosen from nine finalists drawn from a list of 736 nominations received.
He is a medical doctor who gave up his career to pursue the field of humanitarian aid, which for him transcends the boundaries of race, religion, culture, class and geography.
The six-member selection board of the Daily Trust African of the Year, which was chaired by the executive chairman of AllAfrica Global Media Incorporated, Amadou Mahtar Ba, in acting capacity, announced the medical doctor as the winner last Friday, following a virtual meeting of the board held in November.
Deserving winner
A press release stated: “After careful consideration of the works of the nine finalists, the selection board has unanimously decided that Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, a South African medical doctor who gave up his career to pursue the field of humanitarian aid, is the deserving winner of the 2023 African of the Year Award.”
The release described Sooliman as “a worthy and exemplary humanitarian," characterised by his solid belief in the common humanity that unites people around the world.
“He has guided the Gift of the Givers Foundation for more than 30 years to respond to and dispatch humanitarian and medical supplies to disaster areas on the continent and abroad," the statement added.
Help at hand
The statement explained further that Dr Sooliman and his relief workers have since 1992 identified with and provided relief materials wherever disasters strike.
“From the provision of food parcels in impoverished communities in South Africa to search and rescue teams and medical specialists in response to natural and man-made disasters, Gift of the Givers has shown commitment to alleviating human suffering in varying contexts.”
It cited examples of the foundation’s interventions in Turkey, shortly after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in February; the provision of food parcels, potable water, mattresses, clothing and hygiene packs to community members affected by the devastating flooding in Komani (formerly Queenstown) in Eastern Cape of South Africa earlier this year, as well as notable interventions in Libya, in the wake of the distressing flooding of 11 September in Shahhat City.
The African of the Year Award project was instituted in 2008 by the Daily Trust, one of Nigeria’s leading independent newspapers.
The award comes with a cash prize and the official presentation is scheduled to take place during the Daily Trust Dialogue in January.
Sooliman was chosen from nine finalists drawn from a list of 736 nominations received.
He is a medical doctor who gave up his career to pursue the field of humanitarian aid, which for him transcends the boundaries of race, religion, culture, class and geography.
The six-member selection board of the Daily Trust African of the Year, which was chaired by the executive chairman of AllAfrica Global Media Incorporated, Amadou Mahtar Ba, in acting capacity, announced the medical doctor as the winner last Friday, following a virtual meeting of the board held in November.
Deserving winner
A press release stated: “After careful consideration of the works of the nine finalists, the selection board has unanimously decided that Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, a South African medical doctor who gave up his career to pursue the field of humanitarian aid, is the deserving winner of the 2023 African of the Year Award.”
The release described Sooliman as “a worthy and exemplary humanitarian," characterised by his solid belief in the common humanity that unites people around the world.
“He has guided the Gift of the Givers Foundation for more than 30 years to respond to and dispatch humanitarian and medical supplies to disaster areas on the continent and abroad," the statement added.
Help at hand
The statement explained further that Dr Sooliman and his relief workers have since 1992 identified with and provided relief materials wherever disasters strike.
“From the provision of food parcels in impoverished communities in South Africa to search and rescue teams and medical specialists in response to natural and man-made disasters, Gift of the Givers has shown commitment to alleviating human suffering in varying contexts.”
It cited examples of the foundation’s interventions in Turkey, shortly after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in February; the provision of food parcels, potable water, mattresses, clothing and hygiene packs to community members affected by the devastating flooding in Komani (formerly Queenstown) in Eastern Cape of South Africa earlier this year, as well as notable interventions in Libya, in the wake of the distressing flooding of 11 September in Shahhat City.
The African of the Year Award project was instituted in 2008 by the Daily Trust, one of Nigeria’s leading independent newspapers.
The award comes with a cash prize and the official presentation is scheduled to take place during the Daily Trust Dialogue in January.
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