Alexei Overchuk announced the winner in the "Good Deed of the Year" category of the International Prize #WEARETOGETHER

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On 3 December, a solemn award ceremony of the International Prize #WEARETOGETHER was held at the National Centre RUSSIA. During the event, the laureate of the special international category "Good Deed of the Year" was announced. The winner was Dr Anton Mari Lim from the Philippines with his project "Yellow School Boat". The award in this category was presented by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Alexei Overchuk, and the Executive Coordinator of the UN Volunteers programme, Toily Kurbanov.

"In the International track of the #WEARETOGETHER Prize, 30 finalists from 147 countries reached the final stage. A total of 4,000 applications were reviewed. And this, more than anything else, proves that kindness has no borders. The distinctive feature of this Prize is that the winner is selected for a project that has made a real contribution to improving people’s lives. This is extremely important in our changing world, where we face new challenges every day," noted Alexei Overchuk.

The category was established this year, and applications could not be submitted for it. All candidates were nominated by members of the International Directorate of the Prize for their outstanding contribution to addressing major humanitarian issues.

"We value such initiatives as the #WEARETOGETHER programme. It is not just a project — it is a genuine way of supporting one another. And initiatives such as Dobro.rf, the Dobro.org online platform and, of course, the International Prize itself, represent a real contribution by Russia to international cooperation," said the Executive Coordinator of the UN Volunteers programme, Toily Kurbanov.

The "Yellow School Boat" project is the flagship initiative of the Philippine "Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation", launched in 2010. It provides yellow boats to schoolchildren from remote areas who are forced to risk their lives crossing bodies of water to reach school. Over its 15 years of operation, the project has provided more than 5,500 boats, giving access to education to between 30,000 and 40,000 children.

"It is simply amazing to be surrounded by such an atmosphere of friendship, love and support. Being a volunteer means carrying within yourself love, hope and encouragement. It is wonderful that there are millions of people like us. Our project began with just one small boat that helped only a few children reach school safely and quickly. Looking back, I realise that thanks to this project, each child now has the right to stable and sustainable education. For every child who receives their diploma, that alone is already a victory," said Dr Anton Mari Lim.

The International Prize #WEARETOGETHER is established by Rosmolodezh. The organiser is Dobro.rf. The general partner of the Prize is Alfa-Bank, and the strategic partner is Rosatom State Corporation.