Four Abu Dhabi students have been selected as the Middle East winners of The Earth Prize for their mobile phone app that integrates sustainability with maths and English lessons.
The pupils at Ghayathi Common School said that their EcoMind Academy app is being trialled in UAE schools and could ultimately be rolled out internationally.
The Earth Prize is run by The Earth Foundation, a Swiss non-profit organisation.
As regional winners the team will receive $12,500 to develop and implement their app.
Israa Ashraf Abdellatif, 15, a Grade 10 Egyptian student who leads the team, said that they began developing their app last year and have experienced “months of learning, trying and improving”. She added that the group used “every minute of free time” to develop the app, including during lunch breaks and outside of term time.
“It wasn't perfect in the beginning. It’s a work in progress and we’re proud of how far it’s come,” she said.
An app that looks beyond borders
The app aims to incorporate lessons in sustainability into “real-world experiences” and includes games related to sustainability and recycling. It is currently available in English and Arabic, although versions using other languages could be developed, with Israa saying that “language shouldn’t be a barrier to learning about sustainability”.
“We designed it in a way that makes adding new languages easy in the future,” she said. “Our goal is to reach students globally, no matter where they live and what languages they speak.”
Another member of the group, Almaha Ajlan Almansoori, a 16-year-old Emirati, said that while many young people cared about the environment, “the sustainability habit isn’t easy”, but the app aimed to highlight straightforward ways to be more environmentally friendly.
“Now we’ve won the prize, a big part will go to improve the app itself, adding more features, making it more user friendly and expanding it to reach new schools, especially in early 2026,” she said.
The app is currently in a pilot phase and has been introduced to 10 schools, with the intention being that it will be rolled out more widely. “We’re really excited about the feedback we’ve received. In the next few years we hope to reach more than 100 schools and expand internationally,” Almaha said.
The other members of the winning team are Fatma Hussen Sewelam, a 17-year-old Egyptian in Grade 12, and Jourey Abdullah Salama, a Syrian, also 17, and in Grade 12. The students all received support from their team supervisor, Hanan Gamal Moustafa, and the school's principal, Moza Saeed Mubarak Almansoori.
What is The Earth Prize?
Geneva-based non-profit organisation The Earth Foundation set up The Earth Prize to “empower and educate young people to tackle environmental challenges”.
It is open to young people aged 13 to 19 and, since being founded, in 2021, more than 15,000 young people in 160 countries have become involved and $500,000 has been awarded to winning teams.
The Earth Foundation highlights research indicating that there is a high level of concern about environmental issues among young people, with 59 per cent very or extremely worried about climate change.
Israa said that sustainability was important “because we have only one planet and it’s facing serious challenges”, including pollution, climate change and waste. “If we don’t act now, the consequences will affect not just us, but future generations. It’s about everyone making small steps that add up,” she said.
One winner is being chosen from each of seven regions around the world, with a winning team announced each day this week. From Sunday onwards the public will be able to vote for their choice for the global prize online, with the winner to be announced on Earth Day on April 22.
Peter McGarry, the founder of The Earth Foundation, described the 2025 winners as being “a true testament to the boundless creativity and passion of today’s youth”.
“Many of the teams recognised by The Earth Prize have drawn inspiration from local challenges, such as water shortages in Turkey, flooding in North Carolina, and wildfires in California, to name just a few,” he said. “In each case, young people from around the world, directly experiencing the consequences of environmental issues, have risen to the challenge by developing innovative solutions.”
Among the other regional winners already announced are two students from Slovakia and the Czech Republic selected for the European prize for their water purification technology. Three young people from New York who have developed an eco-friendly shock-absorbing cardboard packaging are the North America winners.
On Instagram: @WithHopeUAE
Although social media can be harmful to our mental health, paradoxically, one of the antidotes comes with the many social-media accounts devoted to normalising mental-health struggles. With Hope UAE is one of them.
The group, which has about 3,600 followers, was started three years ago by five Emirati women to address the stigma surrounding the subject. Via Instagram, the group recently began featuring personal accounts by Emiratis. The posts are written under the hashtag #mymindmatters, along with a black-and-white photo of the subject holding the group’s signature red balloon.
“Depression is ugly,” says one of the users, Amani. “It paints everything around me and everything in me.”
Saaed, meanwhile, faces the daunting task of caring for four family members with psychological disorders. “I’ve had no support and no resources here to help me,” he says. “It has been, and still is, a one-man battle against the demons of fractured minds.”
In addition to With Hope UAE’s frank social-media presence, the group holds talks and workshops in Dubai. “Change takes time,” Reem Al Ali, vice chairman and a founding member of With Hope UAE, told The National earlier this year. “It won’t happen overnight, and it will take persistent and passionate people to bring about this change.”
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs: Hyundai Ionic Hybrid
Price, base: Dh117,000 (estimate)
Engine: 1.6L four-cylinder, with 1.56kWh battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 105hp (engine), plus 43.5hp (battery)
Torque: 147Nm (engine), plus 170Nm (battery)
Fuel economy, combined: 3.4L / 100km
The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
Top goalscorers in Europe
34 goals - Robert Lewandowski (68 points)
34 - Ciro Immobile (68)
31 - Cristiano Ronaldo (62)
28 - Timo Werner (56)
25 - Lionel Messi (50)
*29 - Erling Haaland (50)
23 - Romelu Lukaku (46)
23 - Jamie Vardy (46)
*NOTE: Haaland's goals for Salzburg count for 1.5 points per goal. Goals for Dortmund count for two points per goal.
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
World Cup final
Who: France v Croatia
When: Sunday, July 15, 7pm (UAE)
TV: Game will be shown live on BeIN Sports for viewers in the Mena region
