Bahraini award of shaikh Khalid bin Hamad for sustainable development pronounced

First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, today delegated Minister of Social Development Dr. Fatima Mohammed Al-Balushi to attend the award ceremony of Khalid bin Hamad Award for Sustainable Development Projects, which is organized by Social Development Ministry, and to distribute the financial grants to NGOs working under the umbrella of the ministry.Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad praised the efforts of the Social Development Ministry, led by Dr. Fatima Al-Balushi, in providing services to various segments of society, accomplishing welfare and social security for citizens and stimulating development through the activation of community partnership with civil society organizations and the private sector and raising cultural, economic and social awareness to reach Social stability.He lauded the Social Development Ministry's efforts in supporting the NGOs and providing them with various facilities to carry out their activities by engaging them in seminars, conferences and workshops organized by the ministry, stressing NGOs and charity organizations are an essential part of the civil society institutions that their roles are growing as a result of the acceleration of the social and economic transformations in the world.The Award aims to improve the performances of the NGOs and assist them to achieve their development goals, explaining Bahrain aims to provide opportunities to improve the NGOs' capabilities, encourage organizing social forums and programs, promote voluntary work and upgrade development planning and implementation programs in line with international standards, he added. Social Development Minister spoke highly of the financial grants program that contributes to the support of development work carried out by NGOs in Bahrain.She stressed selecting the winning projects is based on objective criteria that have been announced previously.She declared the submission for the 2014 financial grants award for all NGOs by submitting to the National Center for Supporting NGOs, noting the role played by the Social Action Fund in following up and promoting the financial grants program. Future Youth Society and Drug Addiction Treatment Society jointly won the Khalid bin Hamad Award for Sustainable Development Project.