Posthumous award for charity worker

Jan 26 2013

Khalil Dale, the British Red Cross worker who was killed in Pakistan last year, has posthumously won the Robert Burns Humanitarian Award.

The award recognises a group or individual who has saved, improved or enriched the lives of others, through personal self-sacrifice, selfless service or charitable work.

York-born Mr Dale, from Dumfries, in Scotland, first began working for the Red Cross in Kenya in 1981, and dedicated 30 years of his life to helping others.

His brother Ian collected the award on his behalf from Humza Yousaf, Minister for External Affairs and International Development, at the awards ceremony at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway, Ayrshire.

Ian said: "Khalil had a deep affinity with Scotland and, to him, Scotland was always his home so he would have been delighted to be named winner of the Robert Burns Humanitarian Award.

"Khalil very much saw himself as someone who just got on with his job wherever that happened to be and he would have been very humbled by this accolade, which is testament to the lives he changed and the legacy he leaves behind.

"Khalil was loved and respected by many people and I am extremely proud my brother, and the work he carried out over many years to make a difference for others, has been recognised in such a wonderful way. And I would like to thank the people of Scotland, especially those in Dumfries, for their support over the last 12 months."

Mr Yousaf said: "Khalil Dale fearlessly dedicated his life to helping others, demonstrating deep rooted Scottish values of compassion and empathy. It is an honour to present his family with this award."

Mr Dale, 60, was abducted while working with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) health programme in Quetta, in Pakistan on January 5, 2012. He was found dead on April 29.

His family received a specially commissioned award hand-crafted in Scotland and a cheque for 1759 guineas, a sum which signifies the year of Robert Burns' birth and the coinage then in circulation. The amount is equivalent to around £1,800 and has been donated to the Khalil Dale Memorial Fund.