10 October 2012, Male'; Mohamed Faseen Rafiu of Maldives has won the SAARC Youth Award for the year 2011.
SAARC Youth Award is conferred to a winner among youth from SAARC Member States who contribute and give back to the society through various projects and initiatives. The 2011 Award was conferred upon Rafiu on the theme, ‘Youth Leadership in the Fight against Social Ills' after competing among 19 applicants from seven Member States of SAARC.
Rafiu has been actively involved in the fight against the abuse of drugs, particularly in the recovery and rehabilitation of drug addicts, in Maldives.He is one of the founding members of an NGO called "Journey", which offers a set of aftercare programs including relapse prevention, HIV/AIDS prevention and support groups for both drug users and their parents.
So far, twelve youths of South Asia have been presented the Award, which carries a cash prize of US$ 3000 and a citation in English. This is the first time the Award has been won by a Maldivian.
The Award will be officially presented to the winner by the Chairperson of the SAARC Council of Ministers during SAARC Council of Ministers scheduled to be held in Maldives in the first quarter of 2013.
The theme for the SAARC Youth Award 2012 is "Youth Leadership in Media Literacy."
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