Forty-two nannies will vie for the 'UAE's Best Nanny' title on Friday, after being whittled down from more than 2,000 nominations.
While an accumulation of more than 300,000 Facebook votes helped short-list the 42 nannies for the finals of the award's third edition, it will be up to a judging panel to decide who is worthy of the main prize - a retirement fund of one million in her home currency.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Padmini Gupta, CEO and co-founder of the startup Rise that launched the award, said nannies help raise children and become part of a family, so recognition like this is important.
"This year's award is also a retirement savings plan equivalent to one million in the winner's currency, highlighting the benefits of long-term savings and retirement considerations for the 750,000 maids and nannies in the UAE. This fund will be given to the winner in her local currency over a period of 10 years." The winning nanny will also have a professional fund manager. Last year, Filipino expat Melanie Manansala bagged approximately Dh70,000 after beating off her competition. Speaking to Khaleej Times in October, she said the award would allow her to retire five years earlier than planned.
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Here, we speak to the sponsors of some of this year's nominees and find out why they think their nanny has what it takes to win.
Why I nominated my nanny
Nominee: Eufemia Espiritu, Philippines
"Mia has been with us for three years now and because we are of the same age, we've actually become great friends. I'm German and my husband is Swiss so, actually, the concept of having a nanny doesn't really exist back home. When my oldest turned one, I got pregnant again and got very sick. Initially, we flew a nanny in from Germany. She was an older lady but it felt like having a bossy mom at home. It didn't work. That's when Mia came to our rescue. I was extremely picky. When Mia came for the interview, she was one hour early. That impressed me.
"Her former employer even told me they didn't want to lose her, but their kids had gotten older. For Luca, my oldest, that was the most important connection. He was very shy and people had to work to connect with him, but he opened up very easily to Mia. She is a calming person, she would give you her world and without her, I don't think life in Dubai would be the same."
- As told by Tani De Gregorio, sponsor
Nominee: Ritchel Ricafort, Philippines
"Ritchel is our third nanny in the UAE. She has been with us for two and a half years now and I was pregnant with my fourth when she joined our family. Actually, several nannies we interviewed declined the position when they found out we had three kids and one on the way, but not Ritchel - she said yes. From our point of view, she was already incredible.
"What was funny about the interview process was that actually, I felt like I was being interviewed. Her old employer was moving away and he wanted to make sure she was going to a good family, so he asked me lots of questions. That was when I knew we had to bring her into our family, and now she is part of it. Despite the hard life Ritchel has had - leaving home at 16 and supporting a family of nine brothers and sisters - she always stays positive and she's always smiling. That inner strength is an incredible lesson for my kids. That, we thank her for."
- As told by Emilia Orthmann, sponsor
Nominee: Jenette Felongco, Philippines (Photo by Dhes Handumon)
"We first met Jenette when my son was four months old. She treated our son like he was her own - right from the start.
"The hardest part of being a working parent is leaving our boy at home with someone else, but we know he is in good hands. We trust Jenette with all our hearts. Soon as we have felt comfortable with each other, she quickly became more open and shared her personal life with us. That has made us close.
"She is working hard to provide medical assistance to her mother who is ill back home and she works tirelessly to keep other people happy. She has her own son and a husband, too. She lives and works for them and has sacrificed being at home with them to support them. That is an incredible strength to me. We nominated Jenette because we want to help her live out that dream of eventually going back home to reunite with her loved ones."
- As told by Mark S., sponsor
