His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group honoured the winner of the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award at an award ceremony held at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai.
Anna Qabale Duba from Marsabit County in Kenya was named the winner of the award, which has prize money of $250,000.
The top 10 finalists for the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award were announced on 26 April. The winner was chosen after a public voting process, followed by the Grand Jury’s final evaluation. The other nine finalists were also awarded a monetary prize.
Anna Qabale Duba was the first graduate from her village and the only educated child in her family. She chose education because she understood that illiteracy held people back from learning new things and changing harmful cultural norms. During her nursing studies, she won the Miss Tourism Kenya 2013. She used her influence to advocate for gender equality and education in her community. Under the Qabale Duba Foundation, she built a school in her village where children could study in the morning and adults in the afternoon. The community literacy programme currently has over 150 children and 100 adult learners.
On winning the award, Nurse Anna Qabale Duba said: “I feel extremely happy and privileged to receive this prestigious award. Ever since I heard about the award, I was very keen on applying to it as it provides nurses from all over the world a platform to be recognised. It is an honour to receive the award from His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. My heartfelt gratitude to the jury members and Aster DM Healthcare for providing me with this opportunity to tell my story. I dedicate this award to my patients, family, co-workers and to all those who have supported me in this journey.”
Dr Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare said: “Heartiest congratulations to Anna Qabale Duba from Kenya for being the winner of the first ever Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award. Her contribution to the healthcare community and to the field of nursing has been remarkable and we truly hope that her story continues to inspire many.
“It gives us a great sense of fulfilment to witness the impact that Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award has been able to create. What started as an initiative to recognise the outstanding contribution of nurses worldwide has now emerged as a movement encouraging people to acknowledge the contribution of nurses to their lives and society. As we look forward to the next edition of the award, we hope more nurses will come forward to share their stories and inspire the youth to consider a long-term successful career in Nursing.
