SW News: The Sant'Egidio Community, a lay Catholic organization devoted to humanitarian work, and Kenyan activist Shamsa Abubakar Fadhil also known as Mama Shamsa, have won the 2023 Zayed Human Fraternity Award.
The award recognizes the two for their contributions to building a more peaceful and compassionate world by advancing the values of human fraternity and setting an inspiring example of promoting peaceful coexistence. On February 4, 2023, the UN-designated International Day of Human Fraternity, the co-recipients will be honored during an award ceremony in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The Zayed Award for Human Fraternity is now in its fifth year. Shamsa was honored for nurturing youth in Kenya and saving young people from a life of violence, crime, and extremism, by providing them counseling, care, and training," according to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Zayed Award committee.
Meanwhile, the Community of Sant’Egidio was being recognized for its “contribution to successful peace negotiations and conflict resolution through religious diplomacy and intercultural dialogue”, the community services it provides in different parts of the world, and its “Humanitarian Corridors” initiative, which brings refugees from war-torn countries to Europe.  The  Sant’ Egidio is a humanitarian association based in Rome, Italy, with representative offices in 73 countries across Europe, Africa, the United States, and Asia.
“This year’s honorees demonstrate how ordinary people and entities can put these principles into practice – namely, with a dedication to serving others in recognition that we are all members of one human family,” said judging committee member Miguel Àngel Moratinos, United Nations Under-Secretary-General.
“It is the hope of the judging committee that the efforts of Sant’Egidio and Mama Shamsa will inspire us all to lead lives of service, humility, and compassion,” said judging committee member Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.
The prize was established in 2019 to commemorate the historic encounter between His Holiness Pope Francis and His Eminence Professor Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, in Abu Dhabi, where they signed the Document on Human Fraternity.
The award bears the name of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who founded the United Arab Emirates and was well known for his humanitarianism and commitment to assisting people from all walks of life.