By Menatalla Ibrahim
With countless hardships and struggles being faced by people around the world, from war and famine to the current COVID-19 pandemic, Qatar Charity is stepping up its efforts to provide help to those in need. Qatar Charity is a leading Doha-based non governmental organisation dedicated to charity and development work around the globe, and has initiated a plethora of projects and programs to aid countries in times of crisis. Funded by generous donations from the public, Qatar Charity’s mission is to “give people hope and serve vulnerable communities in dignified ways by responding to their humanitarian and development needs.”
Doha News spoke with the organisation to learn more about recent projects Qatar Charity has launched in different countries in the fields of education, poverty eradication, and medicine.
TURKEY:
Turkey has more than 3.6 million refugees from a number of countries, living in fear of what may next threaten their lives after fleeing their war-torn homelands. One of the most serious threats in modern times, the COVID-19 pandemic, has been knocking on the door of the overcrowded refugee camps in Turkey. Many children have been struggling to adjust to the limitations imposed by the spread of the pandemic. In an effort to provide support for Syrian refugee children and others, Qatar Charity donated $2 million for UNICEF to provide better education and protection in the country.
This contribution was announced on World Refugee Day on June 20, 2020, and will provide education and care for thousands of refugee children in Turkey. In the last decade, Qatar Charity donated more than $45 million to different causes around the world.
“Qatar Charity has a long history of addressing the needs of children in fragile and displacement contexts. On this World Refugee Day, we are joining hands with Unicef to support refugee children in Turkey!’ declared Faisal Rashid al-Fehaida, assistant CEO for International Operations and Partnerships Sector at QC.
But it does not stop there. Qatar Charity has also cooperated with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to provide sanitation services and emergency water for camps and health facilities in need in Idlib and Aleppo. The project, which consisting of two parts and comes to implement WASH projects at a cost of more than QR 1 million, is expected to benefit 58,380 people.
The agreement, which comes to implement WASH projects at a cost of more than QR 1 million, is expected to benefit 58,380 people.
Under the agreement, the OCHA will fund the larger part of the project, while Qatar Charity will fund the other part. Qatar Charity will also implement, monitor, and periodically follow up the project over seven months through its office in Turkey, as well as, its field teams.
SUDAN:
Due to the COVID-19 crisis, Sudan has seen a shortage of medical aid, leaving many without vital care. In hopes of providing help for their country, Sudanese workers in Qatar cooperated with Qatar Charity to send medical aid worth QR2 million. The plane transporting the aid was received on 22 of June by Dr. Akram Ali Al-Toam, the Federal Minister of Health, and included protective gear and medical materials for the medical staff working on the Sudanese COVID-19 frontline.
Hussein Karmash, Director of the office of Qatar Charity in Khartoum, said the shipment includes 100,000 surgical masks, 200,000 gloves, 30,000 protective suits, 5,000 face shields, 5,000 medical shoes, 30,000 pieces of headgear, and 100,000 face masks.
PALESTINE:
Gaza has been suffering a bloody war for decades, which has left many in need of basic necessities, including food.
On June 21, 2020, Qatar Charity signed a contribution agreement for $1.5 million with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The decision is in support of the Agency’s food assistance program in Gaza, which will provide food for those in need in the Palestinian city affected by war and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“On behalf of the Agency, I would like to thank Qatar Charity and the Government of the State of Qatar for the generosity and continuous support towards UNRWA and the Palestine refugees. Qatar has increased its annual contribution to the Agency in past years including through its humanitarian organisations,” said Marc Lassouaoui, UNRWA Chief of Donor Relation
UNRWA currently provides food and necessities to some 1 million Palestinians in the besieged Strip, which reflects Qatar’s commitment to supporting vital and life-saving services provided by UNRWA.
In coordination with the Ministry of Social Development and a number of organisations specialised in rehabilitating the visually impaired, Qatar Charity initiated a project to help around 20 visually impaired people in the Gaza Strip. The project provides economic support to those who need it and glass eyes to enhance their aesthetic shape of their faces.
QATAR
As a result of the COVID-19 global crisis, many people in Qatar are struggling to provide food necessities for their families. In an effort to help support those affected by the pandemic, Qatar Charity, in cooperation with Talabat, distributed 3,600 food parcels to workers and families in Ain Khalid, Al Muntazah, and Al Wakrah at the start of this month.
Qatar Charity, which has offices in 29 countries and various partners, is one of the largest humanitarian and development organisations in the world. The organisation provides life-saving assistance to many people in need around the world and thrives to create durable solutions for poverty through development programs and local projects in various fields, including social welfare, WASH, education, nutrition and economic empowerment.
If you want to donate to Qatar Charity, you can visit www.qcharity.org/en/qa/donation. Volunteer programs are also available through their website.
