02-04-2021

The winners of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa’s Award for Encouraging Productive Families, in its 14th edition, were honoured at the local level in recognition of their contributions to national development. The award serves as a tribute to all productive families across the Kingdom of Bahrain, motivating them to pursue continued growth in local production and traditional crafts, and to engage in design and innovation that enhance their developmental role and competitiveness in ways that benefit the nation and support Bahraini households. This comes in light of the continued support and facilitation granted to productive family projects by Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, wife of His Majesty the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women, may God protect her, as well as the relevant ministries and institutions, which collectively contribute to the success of home-based products and raise the standard of living for many families. The 2020/2021 award cycle winners were recognised at a ceremony organised by the Ministry of Labour and Social Development on 21 March at the Capital Mall for Bahraini Handicrafts. The awards were presented by Her Excellency Shaikha Maram bint Isa Al Khalifa, Director of the Office of the Her Royal Highness Wife of His Majesty the King, in the presence of His Excellency the Minister of Labour and Social Development, Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan. In its current session, 158 productive families applied for the award, which included three categories. The award for Best Productive Family was granted to Mrs. Aisha Khalil Al-Khajem; the award for Best Producer went to Mrs. Anisa Mohammad Al-Ali; and the award for Best Sponsor and Supporter of Productive Families was presented to Bahrain Telecommunications Company (Batelco). Evolving Project Mrs. Aisha Khalil Ibrahim Al-Khajem expressed her pride in winning the Best Productive Family award for her food production initiative, Al-Haif Coffee. She explained that her journey began over a decade ago with a single coffee product and gradually evolved into hospitality services. Her project expanded further with the support of the Family Microfinance House (FMH), enabling her to prepare large quantities for participation in regional festivals across the Gulf. She praised the Ministry of Labour and Social Development for advancing educational awareness and empowering female entrepreneurs through the Khatwa programme for home projects, which helped her develop her business on sound theoretical and scientific grounds. She also appreciated the facilitation of import and export procedures for coffee. Mrs. Al-Khajem expressed her hope to one day establish a roastery and coffee mill managed by Bahraini professionals, register her product as a global trademark, and export it internationally. Crowning Bahraini Talents Ms. Anisa Mohammad Al-Ali, who received the Best Product Award for her food project Muqramish, expressed pride in being selected among this year’s winners. She described the award as a powerful motivator for productive families, recognising it as a driver of innovation and excellence in Bahraini products. Since 2003, she has worked with determination to refine her products, which are now marketed both locally and abroad. Ms. Al-Ali emphasised her ongoing commitment to introducing new and distinctive items, and praised the support of the Ministry of Labour and Social Development for providing raw materials that enable families to produce high-quality, standardised food items. Supporting Local Products Batelco expressed pride in winning the Best Sponsor and Supporter of Productive Family Projects award. The company commended the efforts of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, may God protect her, in developing programmes that support productive families in Bahrain. It emphasised that such initiatives ensure sustainability and development by fostering excellence and competitiveness in commercial activities that elevate income and promote household stability. Batelco also acknowledged the Ministry of Labour and Social Development for its efforts to nurture emerging Bahraini talent in the fields of handicrafts and national production. The company noted that the award reflects the shared vision of its Chairman and Board of Directors to advance community partnership and support national initiatives that enhance the sustainability of promising Bahraini enterprises. Arab Echo of the Award Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa’s Award for Encouraging Productive Families is granted annually to the best family-led projects in Bahrain. In recognition of its success, the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs adopted the Kingdom of Bahrain’s proposal in December 2009 to launch an Arab version of the award under Her Highness’s name. The award now includes biennial celebrations recognising the best Arab productive family, best producer, and best sponsor and supporter of productive family initiatives across the Arab world.