Today, lawyer and psychologist Maria Jammal has won the 2019 FPdGi International Award for “her excellent work as cofounder and CEO of Humanity Crew, an outstanding organisation that both highlights and creates solutions for the mental health problems suffered by refugees.
The announcement was made today after the jury of international experts met at the Foundation’s offices in Girona this morning for their deliberations. The winner was chosen from among the 30 nominations received in the first edition of this new category, which recognises the professional and personal efforts of young people anywhere in the world who stand out for their work, their merits and their exemplarity.
The chair of the jury, epidemiologist and director of the WHO Global Malaria Programme Pedro Alonso, explained: “atHumanity Crew, Maria helped to develop numerous initiatives to tackle the trauma suffered by people who have been forced to flee from their homes with their families”.
Maria set up the NGO Humanity Crew after witnessing the suffering and trauma of refugees arriving in the Greek islands in 2015. This organisation has so far deployed more than 220 professionals and volunteers to provide support in refugee camps and shelters. It also runs an innovative online clinic for refugees worldwide, extending the reach of the organisation. “We feel confident that Maria will continue to develop strategies and programmes to help deal with one of the most important, and least attended to, problems in refugee communities around the globe”, concluded the members of the jury.
In addition to Alonso, the jury also included astrophysicist and editor of Springer Nature Philip Campbell, artist Mat Collishaw, managing director of Endeavor Catalyst Allen Taylor, Director of Gatesfoundation European Office, Anja Langenbucher, historian and journalist Giles Tremlett, architect and FPdGi Arts and Literature Award winner Olga Felip and chemist and FPdGi Scientific Research Award winner Samuel Sánchez.
Maria Jammal is the first young person to receive the new International Award, which, unlike the other awards, works by nomination. With the creation of this new category, which seeks to identify and reward excellence among the world’s young people, the Foundation is taking a first determined step towards internationalising its awards and firmly establishing itself as a leading example of support for young talent on an international scale too.
FPdGi, 10 YEARS: “Always with young people"
Maria Jammal completes the list of award winners in 2019. This year, the Princess of Girona Foundation has also recognised the work of neurologist Ignacio H. Medrano (Business), theatre director Rafael R. Villalobos (Arts and Literature), social worker Begoña Arana (Social) and mathematician Xavier Ros-Oton (Scientific Research).
More than 40 award winnersmake up the list of outstanding young people who the Foundation has held up as examples over the past decade; young people who have all embarked on a transformative journey andcarried out work thatcontributes towards improving the society they live in.
Coinciding with the Foundation’s tenth anniversary, the Awards ceremony will be held this year in Barcelona, in November, in an event presided over by Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain and which forms part of the programme of activities planned to commemorate the occasion.
