Social Entrepreneur from Morocco Receives $1 Million Opus Prize

Aïcha Ech Channa provides services for unmarried women and their children in Casablanca

St. Paul, Minn. November 4, 2009 -- Aïcha Ech Channa, founder and president of an organization that provides services to unmarried women with children in Casablanca, Morocco, is the recipient of the $1 million 2009 Opus Prize.

The Opus Prize Foundation of Minnetonka, Minn., and University of St. Thomas conferred the award while also recognizing two finalists– Sister Valeriana García-Martín of Bogotá, Colombia, and Father Hans Stapel of Guaratinguetá, Brazil – who each received $100,000 awards.

The honorees were recognized as unsung heroes who have creatively transformed the lives of others through a commitment to service and social entrepreneurship. Recipients will dedicate the award money to further their faith-based humanitarian efforts.

“The Opus Prize recognizes individuals whose work and story can inspire us to tackle the world’s most deeply rooted problems,” said Amy Sunderland, executive director of Opus Prize Foundation. “They demonstrate what faith, will and vision can do to make our world a better place. They show us change is possible.”

The following individuals are recipients of the 2009 Opus Prize because of their social entrepreneurship, transformational leadership and commitment to faith and service.

2009 $1 Million Winner
Aïcha Ech Channa of Casablanca, Morocco
Aïcha Ech Channa is founder and president of Association Solidarité Féminine, providing services and council to unmarried women with children equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure their own livelihoods.

2009 $100,000 Finalists
Sister Valeriana García-Martín of Bogotá, Colombia
Sister Valeriana García-Martín is founder and director of the Asociación Hogares Luz y Vida, which cares for 145 physically and mentally handicapped children and educates or provides day care services for 850 children from the community.

Father Hans Stapel, O.F.M., of Guaratinguetá, Brazil
Father Hans Stapel is co-founder and president of Fazenda da Esperança – Farms of Hope. He has established more than 60 therapeutic communities in 10 countries to help people with drug and alcohol addictions rebuild their lives.

About the Opus Prize Foundation
The Opus Prize Foundation recognizes unsung heroes of any faith tradition, anywhere in the world, solving today’s most persistent social problems by annually awarding the Opus Prize, a $1 million award and two $100,000 monetary awards. Opus Prize winners combine a driving entrepreneurial spirit with an abiding faith to give power to the disenfranchised, opportunities to the poorest, and inspire others to pursue lives of service. The Prize is awarded through partnerships with Catholic universities or colleges to maximize the scope and impact of its mission. The first Opus Prize was given in 2004. Today, 16 individuals from the United States and around the world have been recognized. The Opus Prize Foundation, established in 1994 by the founding chairman of Opus Corporation, is a private and independent foundation and does not accept unsolicited nominations. For more information, visit www.opusprize.org or check out videos at www.youtube.com/opusprize. 

L’action sociale de la présidente de Solidarité féminine force l’admiration et mérite respect à bien des égards. Respect pour cette dame pionnière, qui s’occupe depuis longtemps des mères célibataires et leurs enfants. Bien avant que l’action sociale soit instrumentalisé au profit de la promotion d’une certaine image du royaume. Respect pour le style. Madame Ech-Channa a toujours mené son action pour aider les mères célibataires évitant d’ouvrir un front contre la société sur un sujet sensible s’il en est. Respect enfin  pour cette grande dame, qui contrairement à beaucoup d’autres acteurs associatifs, a choisit de s’inscrire dans une démarche d’humilité et de dévotion loin des postures de façade.