A selection committee composed of five eminent women has unanimously awarded the IDB Prize for individuals jointly to Mrs. Wafiyya Bahir Al Tahir Issa and Mrs. Alawiyya Omar Ahmad Al Ustaa in recognition of their outstanding efforts to educate girls in poor rural areas. The overall prize money is US$ 50, 000. As for the IDB prize of US$ 100,000 for women's non-governmental institutions and organizations, the committee has divided it between the Al Wafaa Women’s Philanthropic Society of Saudi Arabia and the Women and Child Development Society (Soul) of Yemen in recognition of both society’s efforts to uplift women’s economic and social status through computer skills development projects. The President of the Islamic Development Bank, Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali stated, on the occasion, that the prize was instituted in 1427H and that it is designed to spur women to contribute greatly to socio-economic development and poverty alleviation in member countries. He added that this is the second time the Bank has awarded the prize. He also said that the prizes will be presented to the winners during the upcoming annual meeting of the IDB Board of Governors scheduled to take place in Dakar, Senegal on 13 Jumada Awwal 1428H (30 May 2007).