Friday 23rd December 2011
Shortlist announced for Robert Burns Humanitarian Award
South Ayrshire Council News
A British midwife who saved the lives of thousands of babies and their mothers in the Congo, a group who have worked to transform the lives of deaf people across the world, and a Scots nurse who worked through gunfire and shells to treat patients from both sides of the Libyan civil war have been announced as finalists for a prestigious humanitarian award, named after Scots Bard, Robert Burns.
Sam Perkins, a midwife working with MSF – Doctors without Borders; the Deaf History Review Editorial Team; and nurse Karen Graham, who is currently working in Tripoli, were shortlisted for the Robert Burns Humanitarian Award (RBHA) from some 26 nominations put forward by individuals and organisations from around the world.
The Robert Burns Humanitarian Award – launched in 2002 and supported by South Ayrshire Council, EventScotland and VisitScotland – recognises a group or individual who has saved, improved or enriched the lives of others or society as a whole, through personal self-sacrifice, selfless service or 'hands on' charitable work.
Winners receive the equivalent of 1759 guineas – a sum which signifies the year of the Bard's birth and the coinage then in circulation – as well as a specially commissioned award handcrafted in Scotland.
"Man to Man the world o'er, Shall brothers be for a' that"
This famous phrase sums up all that is best about Burns, and indeed, Scotland: our tolerance, friendship and humanity. And the simple sentiment and beautiful words are the inspiration for the Robert Burns Humanitarian Award.
Find out more about The Robert Burns Humanitarian Award