International Benevolence Awards winners named

By Aynur Ekiz

ANKARA

The Second International Benevolence Awards winners were announced Thursday by Mehmet Gormez, head of the Turkish Religious Affairs Directorate, in capital Ankara.

Seven stories from very different walks of life were considered worthy of the award, for which over 1,000 stories from 8 different countries worldwide were examined, Gormez told a press conference.

According to Gormez, among the winners are former Sudanese President Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab and Ismail Ertem, a Turkish soldier who risked his life to save a friend during an attack in southeastern Turkey.

Other winners include Malaysian doctor Jemilah Mahmood, Norwegian physician, humanitarian, and activist Mads Gilbert, Turkish philanthropist Osman Gerem, Australian academic Susan Carland, and the After Leyla Movement, which was founded by three Turkish medical students to help people suffering from cancer.

Stating that the theme of the awards is "Goodness will change the world,” Gormez added, "The International Benevolence Awards aim to make goodness dominant in the world."

The awards ceremony will be held this Sunday, March 13 at Istanbul’s Halic Congress Centre.