GENEVA, March 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The Essam and Dalal Obaid Foundation (EDOF) has released its annual achievement report for 2016, which details the philanthropic institution's important progress in the fields of medicine and humanitarian work in the past year. This is the second achievement report published by EDOF since its creation in 2014.

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EDOF was founded by the sons of Essam and Dalal Obaid to honour them. The foundation's core mission is "to support well established operational organisations achieve their goals by creating a human and sustainable legacy for future generations," according to Dr. Nawaf Obaid, EDOF's CEO. In this vein, EDOF has built several partnerships with globally recognised institutions such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the CNN Freedom Project and the Mayo Clinic.

Through its support of the ICRC's Weapon Traumatology and Training Centre (WTTC) in Tripoli, Lebanon, EDOF has helped give life back to victims of the Syrian crisis. The Foundation's commitment to the WTTC has aided over 6,200 people mend from the traumas associated with the war in Syria. In addition, EDOF has also been actively assisting the ICRC's Restoring Family Links Program, which reunites families torn apart by war, armed conflict or displacement.

To aid in the fight against human trafficking and modern slave trade, EDOF has partnered with the CNN Freedom Project. The Freedom Project gives voices to the victims of these horrific crimes through powerful and evocative reporting and filmmaking. In 2016 the Project made significant progress: it's documentary, "Canada's Stolen Daughters" was given the 2016 International Media Award; it mobilized students internationally to participate in #MyFreedomDay; it helped put a law into effect in Atlanta, GA forcing convicted traffickers to pay into a fund to aid victims of trafficking. Due to EDOF, the CNN Freedom Project will lend its vast resources to the Italian public school system as part of the Ministry of Education's aim to educate Italian youths on the horrendous nature of human trafficking and slavery. 

Empathetic to the trauma of bodily disfiguration caused by war and armed conflict, EDOF's founder, Tarek Obaid, made a generous donation to the Mayo Clinic, giving the world-renowned hospital enough resources to open the Essam and Dalal Obaid Center for Reconstructive Transplant Surgery. The Center specializes in two branches of transplantation surgery: face and hand; this year marks the end of their first successful face transplantation. After 56 hours of surgery Andy Sandness was given a second chance at life, having his face completely reconstructed and fully functioning through the use of donated tissue and nerves. "I can't say thanks enough to [the donors], for what they gave me," he said. Tarek Obaid's gift to the Mayo Clinic was made on behalf of his family and their strongly held value that hope provides "the fortitude to persevere" and is "the well from which people draw strength."

EDOF has also supported the activities of the National Council on US Arab Relations (NCUSAR), such as its Washington, D.C. Summer Internship Program, which gives university students the opportunity to work closely with Near East and Arab world organisations. In addition, EDOF's contribution to NCUSAR's Model Arab League (MAL) has afforded US students the opportunity to explore Arab world politics through an extraordinary diplomatic simulation and leadership development program. And finally, as benefactor of NCUSAR's Cultural Study Visits Program, EDOF has opened the door for US students and faculty to learn more about Middle Eastern countries as part of a unique travel abroad opportunity. 

More information about EDOF can be found at https://edof.org

SOURCE EDOF