Tawakkul Karman, the first Arab woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, has donated all $500,000 of her award money.
Dubbed the “mother of the revolution” in the mass uprising against the authoritarian regime of Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Karman was one of three women to get the esteemed prize in 2011. Two years later, Karman has decided to give away all of the money she received to further advance her mission, CNN reported.
Her gesture falls in line with the selfless way she dedicated her award when she received it in 2011.
“This prize is not for Tawakkul, it is for the whole Yemeni people, for the martyrs, for the cause of standing up to (Saleh) and his gangs,” she said, according to the Associated Press.
Karman announced that she’ll be donating the prize money to the Aid Fund for Families of Martyrs and Wounded in the Peaceful Revolution, an organization founded by President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi that helps people who were injured and families grieving for loved ones killed during the uprising.
“I know it's a humble contribution,” Karman said in her speech, which was posted to her Facebook page. “I leave here the most valuable thing I have to the most precious people I love. It is a symbolic gesture in the way towards a promising future that we take part in shaping and where everyone give their best or their most.”
Related
Before You Go
