Purina BetterwithPets 2020 Prize UAE is One Among The Finalists

Education

Purina BetterwithPets 2020 Prize UAE is One Among The Finalists

Reading Dogs, an initiative imparting kids in the United Arab Emirates the chance to have interaction meaningfully with pet dogs by reading to them, is among eight finalists for the 2020 Purina BetterwithPets Prize which rewards social entrepreneurs leveraging the power of the pet-human bond to positively affect society.

This years second edition of the Prize, organized in collaboration with Ashoka, a pioneer in the area of social entrepreneurship, drew more than 150 candidates from throughout Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, with the eight finalists stemming from the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

Entrants have been welcomed around two entry streams: Early-stage ideas for innovations and Fully piloted/implemented innovations. The prizes, an investment of up to 100,000 Swiss Francs (AED 377,800) for piloted/implemented innovations and up to 20,000 Swiss Francs (AED 75,500) for idea-stage innovations, help and speed up the most innovative initiatives and ideas that harness the positive mutual energy of the pet-human bond for the advantage of communities. More details is available online.

Throughout the selection method for the BetterwithPets Prize, we discovered ourselves motivated via these impact-driven initiatives, stated Sergej Pracevic, Business Executive Officer, Nestl Purina for the Middle East and North Africa region. Our eight finalists best demonstrated how harnessing the pet-human bond in an innovative way can assist lead to advantageous changes in communities to gain us all."

We're beyond delighted to be one of the finalists, stated Karalynn Thomson of Reading Dogs. The prize and assist provided would enable us to extend our services throughout the UAE, turning in more sessions in mainstream and different instructional wants schools, constructing kid's self belief in their reading potential and allowing them to experiencefirst-hand the unique bond animals can bring.

The finalists will exhibit their initiatives to a jury of 5 judges in the course of online pitches that will be broadcast live on 3rd June 2020 at 13h00 to 15.30 CET.

After pitches and Questions & Answers, Bernard Meunier, CEO, Nestl Purina PetCare Europe, Middle East, and North Africa, will announce the Prize winner(s) and their award(s).