KUWAIT CITY, April 8: The General Secretariat of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs (Awqaf) announced the launch of the final rounds for the first edition of the "Mafaaz" competition, aimed at raising awareness about endowments, charitable, and voluntary work. The competition, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, involves the participation of 52 secondary and intermediate schools.

Amal Al-Dallal, Acting Deputy Secretary General for Administration and Support Services at the Secretariat and Head of the Organizing Committee of the Competition, told KUNA that the "Mafaaz" competition consists of short presentations lasting no more than five minutes. These presentations, made by groups of male and female students, focus on endowments, charitable, and voluntary work. The competition is being held in the Capital Educational Area.

Al-Dallal explained that the competition is open to students between the ages of 11 and 17, specifically those in secondary and intermediate school levels. A total of 52 schools from the Capital Educational Area are taking part in the final rounds. This includes 25 secondary schools (9 boys’ schools and 16 girls’ schools) and 27 intermediate schools (9 boys’ schools and 18 girls’ schools).

The secondary school qualifiers began today and will run until Thursday. The judging sessions are being held at the Seville Elementary School for Girls in Kaifan from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Meanwhile, the intermediate school qualifiers will start on Sunday and continue until Thursday, April 15, at the Fahd Al-Askar Elementary School for Boys in Kaifan.

Al-Dallal emphasized that the competition's primary goals are to promote human values, instill the Sunnah of Waqf, and highlight its role in community development among young students. The initiative also seeks to strengthen the values of cooperation, participation, and altruism by helping students understand the significance of Waqf and charitable works.

She further noted the importance of fostering creativity among students by providing them with opportunities to express their ideas in innovative ways, such as writing stories, creating posters, and producing short films about Waqf and charitable works.