DOHA: An Omani initiative codenamed 'Ismaani' (Hear Me) has won the 2026 edition of 'Our Ethics Award' in the State of Qatar. The initiative was nurtured under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth.
The award is organised by Qatar Foundation to highlight the role of values and ethics in building societies.
The initiative aims to empower stutterers and spread awareness about stuttering as one of the most widespread speech problems in the world. Stutterers constitute 1 per cent of the world’s population, the equivalent of about 80 million people.
The initiative, the first bid of its kind in the Sultanate of Oman, began in early 2020 with only 3 members, but now it includes more than 200 male and female members of different ages. Tutors undertaking the realisation of the initiative have received advanced training abroad on how to control stuttering. The tutors eventually obtained a certificate named “Training of Trainers”, which qualified them to provide programmes of high quality.
The initiative merited recognition at several important occasions, the first of which was an event organised by the Oman Human Rights Commission in 2022. In 2024, the initiative qualified for the Beirut Volunteers Award. It was the only Omani initiative that figured among the top 10 initiatives in the Arab world. It also received the Youth Excellence Award in 2025.
“Ismaani” initiative sends a clear message to all stuttering persons that their voices are audible and influential. - ONA
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
