I love meeting people who inspire. I am uplifted by those of noble vision who reinforce my belief that our default setting, as humans, is to give back. I recently met two women who left a mark on me. One of them is Faten Abu Ghazaleh and the other is Lama Younis. I am delighted that we are featuring both of them in this issue of Tempo.
Faten called me and we chatted over the phone, a year or so ago. She had a simple idea – to help improve customer service standards in the region. Her idea was elegant in its simplicity, and her enthusiasm infectious. She told me about her company, Service Hero, which is an independent feedback online platform – powered by the people – that would help corporations, banks, service providers, recognize their faults and also their areas of improvement. See what she has to say on page 34.
Then there is Lama Younis, whom I met at the Emirates Women Awards last year. We were both nominated: I in the Achievers Category, and she in the Visionaries Category. I was immediately taken in by her strong personality; she, an strong Arab woman who is an activist, a criminologist and a traumatologist! On page 18, you will learn about her inspiring Lama Campaign which is aimed at protecting children’s rights.
We focus again through our Planetarians page on the issue of conservation and saving our planet. The cause we are championing aggressively is stopping food waste. Did you know that the food we (earth’s population) throw away is enough to feed all the world’s starving poor? And – that it is also enough to save the planet from global warming?! Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most powerful ones. Even though we can’t solve all the world’s problems, each of us can do our part. Connect to our FB page and learn more.
We embark in May on a wonderful month of impassioned creativity as we host The Flash Fiction Writing and Reading Competition, in collaboration with New York University. And then there is The Smovies season 4 awards, in collaboration with VOX Cinemas and the US Embassy, where we recognize the winners of the “I Have a Dream” competition. Also this May, Tamakkan will be holding its entrepreneurship open day to help fledgling businesses through free advice.
Be sure to stay connected through our social media platforms and get involved in all our supported initiatives!
Stay happy and feel your tempo.
– Sana Bagersh
Managing Editor, Tempo Magazine
