THOUSANDS of volunteers who have signed up to join the fight against Covid-19 have been praised for displaying a spirit of solidarity and national unity, writes the GDN's Reem Al Daaysi.

More than 30,000 citizens and residents have signed up to volunteer as part of a national awareness campaign to tackle Covid-19.

The National Taskforce for Combating the Coronavirus highlighted the registrations on the e-Volunteer platform launched on March 15.

The huge response reflected the essence of an initiative launched last year to promote a sense of belonging to the nation, said Interior Minister General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa.

‘Bahrainouna’, the National Plan to Promote the Spirit of Belonging to the Nation and Reinforce the Values of Nationalism, was launched under five main pillars – belonging, public relations and media campaigns, curricula and legislative.

“March 26 marks the first anniversary of ‘Bahrainouna’ which was launched on March 26, 2019,” said Shaikh Rashid, who is also the head of the follow-up committee for the implementation of the initiative.

“Under the patronage and direction of His Majesty King Hamad, the national plan’s values and goals come as part of the enlightened royal vision and thought of creating a modern state based on equality and justice and backed by the foundation of the reinforcement of loyalty, the belonging to the nation and the strengthening of its cornerstones to be the first protection front of society.

“As plans and initiatives are measured by work in the field and not the theoretical principles, on this occasion we express our sincere gratitude to and appreciation for the national stand of all members of Bahraini society, for volunteering as part of the National Campaign to Combat Coronavirus.”

The campaign was launched by a team that works under the directives and round-the-clock follow-up of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier, to ensure that precautionary procedures and measures are effective and in line with the current situation.

“The remarkable response of more than 30,000 volunteers is a source of honour that asserts the strength of the culture of belonging, national cohesion and human coexistence and symbolises and represents the society’s values and the foundation of ‘Bahrainouna’ to bring up a generation that believes in the value of voluntary work and its importance to promote confidence in the community partnership,” said Shaikh Rashid.

He also praised His Majesty’s representative for charity work and youth affairs, National Security Adviser and Supreme Council for Youth and Sport chairman Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa for being a role model for youth for determination and persistence and honourable role in the reinforcement of awareness about the concept of “sports for all”, as a form of national work and protection of the national identity.

The minister said the nation wasn’t just a geographical space we lived in, but it comprised the history, roots, culture, identity and existence of the citizen.

Of the 105 ‘Bahrainouna’ initiatives, 82 of them have been implemented since the plan was endorsed by the Cabinet and the formation of a follow-up committee. Shaikh Rashid also hailed all nationalist and loyal Bahrainis who are involved in the current situation that required unity and a positive response to all precautionary measures to ensure safety.

Meanwhile, Bahrainouna executive office director Hala Sulaiman said the plan received positive responses and appreciation of the community.

“National performance indicators are being developed to measure changes in the attitudes of citizens towards nationalism and national values as well as the measurement of the effectiveness of the initiatives and their impact on the community,” she said.

‘Bahrainouna’ initiatives include programmes such as Ma’an (a programme against violence and addiction), Youth City 2030, Made in Bahrain, Discover Life Magazine, Bahrain Festivals and Amankum Allah and other initiatives involving national partners such as various ministries.

For more details and the latest news about Bahrainouna, visit the website www.bahrainouna.com or follow @bahrainouna on Instagram, Youtube and Twitter.