Honoring the Winners of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa Award for Encouraging Productive Families

21-03-2021

Humaidan: Princess Sabeeka’s backing propels productive‑family projects to Arab and international acclaim The Ministry of Labour and Social Development today announced the winners of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa’s Award for Encouraging Productive Families in its 14th local edition, during a ceremony at the Capital Mall for Bahraini handmade products. Her Excellency Shaikha Maram bint Isa Al Khalifa, Director of the Office of HRH the Wife of the King of Bahrain, presented the awards in the presence of His Excellency the Minister of Labour and Social Development, Mr. Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan. The family of Aisha Khalil Ibrahim Al‑Khajem received the Best Productive Family Award for their food‑production venture ‘Al‑Haif Coffee’; Ms. Anisa Mohammed Al‑Ali won the Best Product Award for her snack line ‘Muqramish’; while Bahrain Telecommunications Company (Batelco) earned the accolade for Best Sponsor and Supporter of Productive‑Family Projects. In his address, Humaidan expressed profound gratitude to Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, may God protect her, whose unwavering patronage of productive families since the award’s inception in 2007 has elevated the quality of their goods and led to regional and international recognition. He emphasised that sustainable economic and social security—achieved through the active participation of Bahraini women and families producing high‑quality goods—remains a key objective set by Her Royal Highness, which the Ministry is committed to realising through equal opportunities and an equitable partnership between women and men. Honouring this year’s winners takes on added significance amid the exceptional circumstances created by the COVID‑19 pandemic. Humaidan highlighted Princess Sabeeka’s humanitarian initiative, the «Together for the Safety of Bahrain» campaign, which extends vital support to women—particularly female breadwinners—easing the burdens imposed by the pandemic. Her Highness’s guidance has enabled productive families to continue operating safely, thereby sustaining their presence during these challenging times. Competition in this edition was robust: 158 local families entered, of whom 75 per cent were women. Their products will be showcased at the Capital Mall for Bahraini Productive Handicrafts from 21 to 27 March 2021, 09:00–21:00, under strict precautionary measures to safeguard exhibitors and visitors. Participation in this edition was notable, with 158 local productive families—75 per cent of them women—entering the competition. The Capital Mall for Bahraini handmade products is currently displaying items submitted for Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa’s Award for Encouraging Productive Families from 21 to 27 March 2021, 9:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m., while observing all precautionary measures to safeguard exhibitors and visitors. It is noteworthy that the Productive Families Project, launched by the Ministry of Labour and Social Development four decades ago, has achieved remarkable success—most recently when the Ministry received the Arab Government Excellence Award for the Khatwa Programme for Home Projects as the Arab world’s best community‑development initiative. The project began by assisting low‑income families who worked from home, and has since evolved through Khatwa, which has helped unlock individual potential and transform beneficiaries from social assistance recipients or jobseekers into successful home‑business owners. To date, more than 950 participants—of whom women represent 80 per cent—have obtained a Productive Home Licence, out of 1,500 productive families registered with the Ministry by the end of 2020.