JEDDAH: A Saudi woman has received a regional award for youth volunteer work after providing her community with two sports initiatives. Ibtisam Fadel Al-Enezi, from Arar in the north of the country, was nominated for setting up “An Hour for Your Health” and the “I Walk ” female sports team. She contributed to establishing and chairing the first non-profit sports body in the Northern Borders province, the Sports Fitness Association. It is now under the supervision of the Saudi Ministry of Sports. In 2021 she won first place for the "Kafu" award in the volunteering field. She won third place in the Excellence Award for Arab Youth in the field of youth volunteer work for 2022. The Excellence Award is organized by the Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports in cooperation with the Arab League. It was launched by Dr. Ashraf Sobhi, Egypt’s minister of youth and sports, in May to honor and encourage young people with initiatives and projects credited with enriching the youth and sports movements. HIGH LIGHTS • She was honored by Prince Saud bin Abdulrahman bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz, deputy governor of the Northern Borders, for winning the award and representing her country. • In 2019, she received a citation from Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US, Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud, for volunteering in a sporting event. Al-Enezi was nominated for the award by the Ministry of Sports, where she was the only Saudi participant and the first Saudi woman to receive this award. “The moment my name was announced as a winner gave me a beautiful feeling, indeed reaping the fruits of one’s labor can be literal,” she told Arab News. “I feel proud and honored to be one of the honorees in this award, and I am happy to represent my beloved country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” After winning the excellence award, Al-Enezi was honored by Prince Saud bin Abdulrahman bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz, acting governor of the Northern Borders Region. The award also aims to enhance competitiveness among Arab youth, highlight their efforts, and support their initiatives. She was also honored by Prince Saud bin Abdulrahman bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz, deputy governor of the Northern Borders, for winning the award and representing her country. She started volunteering in sports in 2018 and has received several awards. She won an Education Excellence Award in 2014 as a distinguished teacher in the Kingdom from the Ministry of Education. In 2019 she received a merit from Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US, Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud, for volunteering in a sporting event. In 2021, she won first place in the Kafu awards in the volunteering field and was honored by Prince Faisal bin Khalid bin Sultan, governor of the Northern Borders. The Kafu awards seek to motivate individuals and organizations to develop competitiveness and creative initiatives in development. She is a member of several committees in the Northern Borders, including the region’s youth council and the Saudi Red Crescent. She is also the coordinator for women’s sports activities in the region. “The awards motivate me to present and create volunteer initiatives, especially in the sports field,” Al-Enezi said. She praised the efforts of Saudi and Arab youth and the support they received from government and private agencies in the Kingdom and the Arab world for volunteer work.