Mary Zayed, a little girl’s story from Malawi village captures global attention at COP28

Amir Al Sonny, Staff Reporter

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed awarded the winners of the Zayed Sustainability Prize, the UAE’s global award in sustainability and humanitarianism, during a ceremony held at COP28 UAE in Expo City Dubai.

The 11 winners across six categories will share a total prize fund of $3.6 million for their pioneering solutions to transform lives and accelerate environmental change around the world.

Among the winners was Mary Zayed, a child who came with her grandmother and a young man from their village Shizaya in Malawi, to express their thanks to His Highness the President of the UAE, and the efforts made by the award in the development of poor countries and regions.

The birth of Mary witnessed the presence of electricity from solar energy after her village was living on sunlight, candles and gasoline.

The village, which won the Zayed Sustainability Prize in 2014, established the Zayed Solar Academy, where many of the village's youth graduated and became specialized engineers.

The young man who was accompanied by the child and grandmother is Ramoulos Kabunda, an engineer and one of the graduates of the Academy. During the ceremony, Ramoulos announced his determination on spreading solar energy in all villages. Even Mary Zayed said that she wishes to become a solar engineer.

The Zayed Sustainability Prize is the UAE’s pioneering global award that recognises and rewards small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), nonprofit organisations (NPOs), and global high schools with sustainable solutions.

Established by the UAE leadership in 2008, the Prize honours the humanitarian and sustainability legacy of the UAE’s founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Over the past 15 years, the Zayed Sustainability Prize has awarded 106 winners who have positively impacted the lives of 378 million people around the world by accelerating sustainable development through their impactful, innovative and inspiring solutions.

Spanning six distinct categories that align with the global sustainability agenda — Health, Food, Energy, Water, Climate Action, and Global High Schools — the Prize reflects the UAE's commitment to driving inclusive and resilient sustainable development.