Twelve grassroots level projects in the Middle East have received a total of $100,000 as the 2011 Ford Motor Company Conservation and Environmental Grants.

Ford Middle East honoured the awardees at ceremony in Dubai today. 

This year’s winners include projects saving coral reefs and protecting marine resources in Kuwait, Oman and the UAE, initiatives that engage communities to become eco-police in and protect natural resources in Lebanon, setting up community theaters to inculcate environmental awareness in Jordan, volunteerism to collect and segregate plastic waste in Kuwait, and many more.

Hussein Murad, Ford Middle East's director of sales, said:  “Our winners for this year are doing a phenomenal job in raising awareness to protect the environment in their local communities.  We are glad to be able to assist them to further their cause and mission.  It is quite exemplary that most of the projects involve the youth who represent the future and will be able to pass on to their peers ways to conserve the environment.  We hope to see more of these projects come to life year-on-year.”

“We also thank Unesco-Doha and HH Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Ali Al Nuaimi, who has graced the Ford Grants this year as Ambassador, for spreading the word about the Conservation and Environmental Grants, helping us reach out to the local community groups that need this type of support,” added Murad.
 
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Dr Benno Boer, Unesco's Ecological Sciences Advisor in the Arab Region, said:  “As one of the longest running and most commendable programmes initiated by the private sector in the region, the Ford Motor Company Conservation and Environmental Grants have been quite instrumental in helping local groups and organisations continue with their projects and we thank them for their continued support.  With our efforts combined, we can influence more communities to do their part in protecting the environment. This is a laudable effort during the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014), and the composition of the jury is a real contribution to gender equality, which is an over—arching priority of Unesco.”

“There is a dire need to educate and activate the communities to preserve the environment.  An informed citizenry is our best instrument in fighting the rapid deterioration of the environment. It is truly laudable that the recipients of the Ford Grants are passionately pursuing raising environmental awareness through education and example.  We are all beneficiaries of the environment and we must do our part to protect our natural resources against further harm,” said Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Ali Al Nuaimi, also known as The Green Sheikh, Ford Grants Ambassador.

The Ford Grants is part of the company’s efforts to support grass-roots level initiatives that protect and preserve the environment and natural resources in the GCC and Levant countries, and has awarded a total of $1.2 million to more than 140 projects since its inception in 2000.

The 2011 Ford Motor Company Conservation and Environmental Grants winners are:

1 - Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature – Jordan
2 - Jordan Society for Environment Conservation - Jordan
3 - Kuwait Dive Team - Environmental Chapter - Kuwait
4 - Abdur Rahman Abdullah –recycling project -Kuwait
5- Association for the Protection of Jabal Moussa (Jabal Moussa Biosphere Reserve) - Lebanon
6 - Arc En Ciel  - Lebanon
7 - Dalia Kamil Al-Jawhary - Lebanon
8 - Safadi Foundation - Lebanon
9 -     Biosphere Expeditions  - Oman
10 - National Earth Secrets Oman / World Habitat Society (Germany)
11 - Emirates Diving Association  - UAE
12 - Biosphere Expeditions  - UAE