Dr. Georges Karam, adult and geriatric psychiatrist at MIND and senior member at IDRAAC has won the Arab Social Creativity Award for the “Elderly Empowerment Project” which was implemented in partnership with the Municipality of Byblos and funded by the European Union. The project which aims at providing work opportunities, volunteer opportunities and leisure activities to the elderly won over 130 projects in the Arab in the Arab World.
The award was delivered by the Arab Thought Foundation (ATF) during the Fikr16 conference, in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation and Chairman of the National Olympic Committee and His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Al Faisal, Chairman of the Arab Thought Foundation, who honored the winners of the Arab Creativity Award 2017, the 11th edition of the award on Wednesday April 11, 2018.

In a speech at the ceremony, Dr. Karam stated that "one out of five people over the age of 60 is at risk of developing a mental illness." Studies conducted by IDRAAC since 1980 showed that "social disability increases the risk of developing mental disorders for up to six times."

He explained that "the first experience for this project was in the city of Byblos, where IDRAAC contacted the institutions of the region to check the availability of work and volunteering opportunities or leisure activities that may be provided to the elderly." "We then created a database of work, volunteer and leisure activities that older people can do to reduce the burden of retirement," he said. "The project was welcomed with a lot of enthusiasm from older people and their relatives”. Institutions interested in supporting this project can check the project's webpage  or contact IDRAAC on 76 10 05 76.