The five Assalam Schools were established with the support of the local ministry of education and donors to ensure equal access to education for the local population.
Education Above All Foundation (EAA) and Sidra Medicine have joined efforts to provide enhanced mental health support to students at the Assalam Schools in Qatar under a new agreement, signed on Wednesday.
The agreement between the Qatari entities is set to provide mental health services to the vulnerable and low-income students, EAA said in a statement.
Some of the services Sidra will offer Assalam’s students include psychiatric and psychological assessments, medication management, and follow-up care for mental health issues.
“By providing care in such a way, we are jointly creating an environment where seeking help is normalised and encouraged. With this partnership, both our organisations are committed to providing the best mental health support for the students of Assalam School,” Muhammed Waqar Azeem, Chair of Psychiatry at Sidra Medicine, said.
The Assalam Schools were established under EAA’s Together Project (Together) initiative, first introduced in 2017 under the Al Fakhoora programme to provide equal access to education for children in Qatar.
The one-of-a-kind local project provided students from 31 nationalities in Qatar with more than 3,600 scholarships for students aged between seven-to-18.
The five Assalam Schools were established with the support of the local ministry of education and donors to ensure equal access to education for the local population.
In 2019, EAA launched the first Assalam School, which has since provided education for students between grades one to six under the Cambridge International Curriculum.
“This partnership embodies our commitment to the holistic well-being of our students, recognising that mental health is foundational to educational success,” Talal Al-Hathal, Director of EAA’s Al Fakhoora Programme, said, referring to the latest collaboration with Sidra Medicine.
As of October 31, 2023, the Together initiative benefitted 8,067 people across more than 36 different nationalities and 36 private and five Assalam schools in Qatar.
It has received an annual QAR 33 million in funding through Awqaf, Qatar Charity, AFIF Charity and The Social and Sports Contribution Fund.
Established in 2012, EAA, in collaboration with other Qatari entities, has been providing a vital lifeline for students worldwide who have been displaced from their classrooms due to crises and conflict.
Sidra Medicine’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health division is among the leading entities in Qatar that provide holistic support to the population.
The health facility falls under the umbrella of the Qatar Foundation and specialises in precision medicine while serving as an educational and scientific hub.
The hospital works closely with key institutions including Weill Cornell Medicine, Qatar University, and Hamad Medical Corporation.
Last year, Sidra Medicine was among five Qatari hospitals ranked in the world’s top 250 academic medical centres, the highest number of hospitals from the region on the global ranking.
