Friday 19 / April / 2024
1. His Majesty Sultan Qaboos features on UN magazine cover
It is a matter of pride for Oman as His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said to be featured on the cover of the 2016 issue of the United Nations’ magazine ‘Society and Diplomatic Review’.
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“There are very few leaders of the world’s 200 or so countries who are committed to solving major problems through collaboration and communication in a decent, respectful and peaceful manner.
“The world needs role models. I cannot think of a more suitable place than a major UN magazine in New York to promote HM, his work and, indeed, Oman.” said Kenyon-Slaney, founder and CEO of the London Speaker Bureau.
2. Oman Air pilot makes mark in male bastion
Maha Al Baluchi, the nation’s first Omani female senior first-officer working for Oman Air, was featured last February. Since then, she has spoken at more than five educational institutions and has more requests still pending.
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“After the article came out,” Baluchi said. “I felt more responsibility to being a role model and setting a higher standard for girls. They considered me a motivational character,
even the boys.”
It took her twenty four years to be able to become who she is today.
“Follow your dreams no matter how big they are. Understand that success and comfort are two circles that don’t ever mix.”
3. Need blood? Send a whatsapp message to this group in Oman
When featured in Oman Pride last October, the Whatsapp group “We Help Blood Donors” only had 250 individuals donating blood. After the article was published, that number grew.
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“At first when we started,” Kabeer CV, one of the members, said.
“We only had 150 donors. Today, we have around 600 people willing
to donate.”
Although the groups exposure in the TOO did help bring awareness to the issue, Kabeer believes that is has mostly to do with the people of Oman.
“What we do is like service work,” he said.
“Everybody here is very cooperative. Everybody wants to help.”
4. OmanPride: British singer Sami Yusuf amazed by Oman
The British singer and song-writer was blown away by his experience in Oman earlier this year and even recorded video to his latest album Barakah.
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Appointed by the United Nations as both the World’s Global Ambassador Against Hunger and the promoter of World Peace and Harmony, Sami calls his genre of music “Spiritique”.
“As a lover of nature, tra0dition and the environment, it has always been a dream of mine to work on a project that incorporates all those subjects in a music video. I would like to thank Oman’s Ministry of Tourism for giving me the opportunity to carry out this dream,” the singer posted on his official website.
5. Workers in green help keep the Sultanate clean
There are at least 1,000 such workers employed in different sections, such as garbage collection and beautification, and they work in different camps organised by the Muscat Municipality.
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The workers’ morning shift begins at 6am and ends at 11am and the
afternoon shift begins at 3pm and ends at 5.30pm.
“Our work may be the lowest in the job strata. It’s quite tedious. But, the support we get from Omanis and expatriates makes us happy.
“Even a smile from people while we do our job is a great inspiration,” Raju Abraham, a cleaning worker said, while continuing with his work in Ruwi.
6. Meet Oman’s sole Olympic torchbearer Barakat Al Harthi
The Sultanate’s sole Olympic torchbearer, Barakat Al Harthi, broke into the Olympics following his victory at the Military World Games in South Korea in October last year.
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He sprinted to 100m victory in South Korea. He took home the Sultanate’s first gold in the competition with a record of 10.16 seconds, which qualified him for the greatest athletics contest on earth.
Although the sprinter failed to qualify for a place in the finals, he thanked supporters and promised to continue his efforts. In a video message released in Arabic on twitter, Barakat is seen thanking his fans and supporters and saying he will continue working hard on his performance.
“I thank all my supporters and the coming days will be better. I thank all those who stood behind me, (they were) people who pushed me to perform.”
7. A saviour in Oman for expat workers in distress
Rita Samuel has been a social worker in Oman since 1996. She was called a “savior for expatriate workers in distress” in last November’s issue. The support she has received since last year is monumental.
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“Schools have connected with me,” Samuel said. “Even social services are contacting me. I am so grateful to Oman for giving me these opportunities; I am now just trying to give back.”
When Samuel first arrived in Oman, she noticed that it was mostly individuals helping on an individual level. She believes that with the education and awareness from the past 20 years, people have now started to openly help others.
“People are alert now, there is awareness,” she said. “The heart is there, somebody just has to kick start.” Samual lives by the motto, “Service to man is service to God.”
8. New book highlights unsung modern heroes of Arab world
Arabs Unseen, a book written by Mohammed Mahfoodh Al Ardhi, highlights the lives of 10 inspirational Arab individuals, including three Omanis, and their exemplary journeys of overcoming challenges and hardships.
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Al Ardhi said he believes in the Arab race and that it can do great things even in modern times, replicating their glorious past, however most of these go unnoticed because they don’t receive due appreciation and recognition.
“In recent years, I have made deliberate efforts to engage as closely as possible with bright minds from across our region. I have been fortunate to learn of myriad and inspiring success stories, but was surprised to realize that many of the commendable individuals behind these achievements have never been acknowledged on a regional or international scale,” he explained.
9. Omani woman helping Syrian refugees arriving in Greece
Dalal Darwish is the first Omani to travel to Greece and help those affected by the terrors of the Syrian war. With over a decade of experience in the field of Social Development and Community Engagement, Darwish felt obligated to join the cause to help others through both volunteer work and on the screen.
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Speaking about her experience Darwish said, “Being a volunteer helping refugees during this historic event has honestly been tough. I learnt immediately that my sensitive heart needed training to be strong in order to be a pillar for those that are vulnerable and relying on me for help.”
Darwish is also the associate producer of the independent film Citizen Xeno, which is Greek for “stranger.” It is an independent documentary shot more as a film than a traditional style documentary on the largest refugee crisis since WWII.
10. Ali Al Zadjali breaks barriers in female-dominated industry
Ali Al Zadjali has been creating and designing clothes since the age of 18. According to him, men too have glass ceilings.
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“No field (profession) should ever just have one gender.” said Al Zadjali regarding his firs realization of breaking barriers.
“It was my first fashion competition in Oman, and of course I was the only male who made it to the finals.” He said. “The finalists wouldn’t speak to me, but the judges did and I ended up winning the competition!”
Al Zadjali is on his second clothing line and hopes that others will follow his suite in finding happiness.
“I hope I inspire people to just do what they want in life, be happy with what you’re doing. As long as it doesn’t cross any boundaries, then focus on what makes you, you!”
