Ammon News - by Laila Azzeh

AMMAN — After losing his eyesight in a road accident eight years ago, 16-year-old Mustafa can now see again after undergoing successful cornea transplant surgeries facilitated by a grassroots initiative.

Through a campaign organised by the Drs. And More coalition, Mustafa was able to secure donated corneas.

Under the coalition’s campaign, volunteers managed to hold the Guinness record last December for collecting the highest number of potential donors in the world in one day, with more than 3,540 people signing up as organ donors in eight hours. “Our aim is ensure that each and every person in Jordan in need of a cornea transplant is able to access one…,” Khaled Jebreen, founder and CEO of the coalition said.

During a ceremony where the group was honoured for winning the Princess Basma Award for Human Development and Community Service for the individual category, Jebreen noted that two people have benefited from the initiative so far, including Mustafa.

“The second beneficiary, a university student, received corneas donated by another person with a visual impairment. He died after registering himself as a cornea donor,” the sixth-year-medical student said.

A total of 7,000 volunteers, mostly students from different medical specialties, are working for the campaign, which cooperates with the Jordan Eye Bank.

“We have opened an office for receiving applications of interested donors… our future plans include establishing a national registry for donors to network with different hospitals and public agencies in order to facilitate the operation,” Jebreen said.

During Monday’s ceremony, the “Creative Youth Club” in Irbid was honoured for winning the award’s institutional category.

The club has established nine branches so far, organising voluntary activities to serve the northern region, with plans to expand to other governorates.

“The idea is to mobilise young people to serve their local community. It was basically an attempt to manifest the idea of one-city, one-family,” Ali Qudah, co-founder of the initiative, told The Jordan Times.

Launched by the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development in 2011, the Princess Basma award seeks to raise awareness on sustainable human development and issues of importance for local communities, while recognising and encouraging efforts that promote community well-being through research, volunteerism and pioneering schemes.

During the ceremony, HRH Princess Basma expressed her pride in the winning projects, stressing their significance in serving the country and the underprivileged.

She said she was “optimistic” about the ability of young people to a better future for Jordan, particularly through volunteer work and innovative ideas.

The prizes will go towards the development of winners’ existing initiatives, or the creation of new ones with similar objectives.

Amal Sabbagh, head of the award committee, said she came across many projects that showed “incredible” potential, innovative thinking and dedication.

She said the 2014 award will include television programmes devoted to entrenching the idea of social responsibility and volunteerism.