By Jinu Jacob
Doha: The Journey of depth, a documentary recounting young Qatari boy Ghanem Mohammed Al Muftah’s diving experiences as he overcomes a rare physical ailment plans for release by early next year.
Barwa Bank announced its sponsorship of the documentary at a press conference yesterday.
The 13-year-old is born with Caudal Regression Syndrome (CRS) or absence of distal segments of the spine. Given very little chances of survival by doctors initially, Ghanim still continues to amaze everyone with his progress. He has become a beacon of hope for physically-challenged children.
The story centres on the importance of hard work in reaching success. It is a rare and unique insight into the young hero’s deep-sea diving experience in spite of his battle against CRS, one of the rarest ailments in the world. The documentary was shot in the City of Sharm El Sheikh. The press conference was attended by Barwa Group officials, including Talal Ahmed Al Khaja, Chief Communications Officer; Abdullah Majed Al Malki, Chief Administrative Officer; and Nasser Hamad Al Khaldi, Media Adviser, and Ghanem.
“I was inspired to dive while watching a TV programme and later I expressed my interest to my mom. Though she initially disapproved of it, she finally agreed. This made me enrol for a diving course where I was trained by experts. The training was very helpful to me. Now I can dive up to 18 metres (60 feet). Diving has become my passion, while diving I feel like a bird under water and I feel more strong. Besides, I want this documentary to be an inspiration to all people who think less of themselves and I want to make my country proud,” said Ghanem.
Al Khaja said: “The great strides that Ghanem has made in the journey in taking part in one of the toughest sports and the countless hours of practice was not an easy task and required a lot of hard work and dedication. Ghanem was able to accomplish all this through his commitment and self-belief and this is the essence of the project. Barwa Bank is honoured to announce that he will be the bank’s media ambassador for a full year for all humanitarian values he embodies. Through our commitment to corporate social responsibility, we are working in line with the human and social development pillars of Qatar National Vision 2030. Our sponsorship of Journey to the depth is an initiative we will continue to build on. It falls under our larger entirety of programmes and initiatives we spearhead at the service of society and in efforts to instil values of giving and togetherness.”
A cinema release of the documentary is expected in the near future.
The Peninsula
