THE leader of a county charity has won an international humanitarian award after being inspired by his family’s struggles through civil war.

Eltayeb Bashar, who runs the Anti-Racism Initiative, won the competitive 2024 HART (Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust) prize for human rights in the senior essay category.

He said: “I’m honoured to announce that I have won the 2024 HART prize for human rights.

“My winning essay ‘Sudan’s Forgotten War: Addressing One of the Greatest Humanitarian Crises of Our Time’ was inspired by the hardships of civil war in my homeland and by my family’s suffering in escaping it.

“The essay is dedicated to them.

“I’ve now been invited to the House of Lords, will get work experience with HART and my essay will be published, highlighting the crisis.

“I’m grateful for winning amidst tough competition and congratulate my fellow essayists.”

HART, an international development charity, collaborates with humanitarian groups in different countries to assist communities with sustainable development and peace efforts.

Its international essay competition invites participants from all over the world aged between 11 and 25 to address human rights issues in HART-operational countries, highlighting underrepresented humanitarian issues.

Eltayeb won a cash prize and a signed book by Baroness Caroline Cox, who founded HART in 2004, as well as his invite to a tour of the House of Lords which also included the House of Commons.

He added: “My essay brought attention to the under-reported civil war in Sudan.

“The competition included students from different universities like Sydney and Birmingham as well as other essayists from across the globe.

“What I’m most proud of is not the cash prize but the fact that my essay will bring much-needed attention to the unfolding humanitarian crisis.”

Eltayeb aspires to become a human rights lawyer in the United Nations and wants the initiative to be “an instrument for positive change in the community”.

He is an LLB law graduate and international human rights law masters student.

The initiative is a non-profit organisation and registered charity dedicated to promoting racial harmony in Worcestershire.

It hosts many annual events in Worcester including the recent Windrush Day event.

The initiative also plans programmes comprising of workshops, talks in libraries, presentations at educational institutions and other educational activities.

For more details about HART visit www.hart-uk.org and for the initiative go to www.ariuk.org.