Qatar Charity's Initial Emergency Relief for Nepal

Qatar Charity's initial emergency relief team has returned from Nepal. Following visits and needs assessments in Greater Kathmandu and Gurga they made Qatar Charity's initiation distribution to 18,000 people affected by the earthquake who had not yet received assistance.    The value of this distribution was USD 100,000.  Items distributed included food, blankets, mattresses and other non-food items including hygiene kits.   Food items provided included rice, flour cooking oil, sugar and lentils.

Additional relief response and further distributions are being organized and will take place in the coming weeks following further assessments based on real-time gaps identified in coordination with the local authorities.  Recovery programming ranging from temporary, transitional and permanent shelter construction to water, health and education are being explored.

14 May 2015

Qatar Cyclists and Qatar Sandstormers take part in global cycling event for Education

Qatar Cyclists and Qatar Sandstormers raise money for charity and take part in the Global Biking Initiative.

Starting on June 7 in the Italian city of Venice and ending in Stuttgart, Germany, seven days later, the Qatar Cyclists and Qatar Sandstormers will ride 800 kilometers through four European countries; Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Germany, gaining 7,000 meters in elevation as the riders pass through the Alps.

Participation in the ride is part of raising awareness for “Cyclists for Education” initiative that was signed between Qatar Charity , Qatar Cyclists and the Qatar Sandstormers. The initiative aims to raise QAR 5 million for Rebuilding a Girls School in Gaza for over 900 students .

Qatar Cyclists and Qatar Sandstormers have raised monies by approaching sponsors, which this year include Tasweeq, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, Vodafone, Qatar Airways, Qatar Gas, Amwaj, Qatar Financial Center, Al Ruwais and Aspire Zone Foundation. The initiative is also supported by Sora Marine and Damen Shipyards Group.

The cyclists will represent Qatar Charity and sponsors and will give a presentation on the importance of the educational project and the need to support humanitarian work in general, encouraging all those interested in sport to participate in charitable work to all participants of the Global Biking Initiative, this year from over 22 countries and over 400 cyclists participating.

The Cycling for Education Initiative will raise money for the construction of a secondary school for girls in Gaza. The project cost is estimated at QAR 5,000,000 and comes within the framework of QC’s belief in the importance of education, particularly in areas where children face challenges and difficulties impeding their access to education which is essential for the advancement of their communities.

To date, the cyclists have raised more than QAR 500,000. The Initiative will be supported by the Cyclists over the next three years in which the monies to be collected will support the construction phases of the project..

The Global Biking Initiative involves over 400 riders from more than 22 countries around the world, who voluntarily serve charitable projects of their choice, via corporate sponsorship that is converted into financial support for charitable projects.

“This event is commendable and the custodians deserve to be seen as role models, for spending both their time and effort on humanitarian work, which is today often hampered by barriers such as natural disasters and armed conflict, ignorance and poverty, requiring the support of those with big hearts,” said Mr. Abdulnaser Alzaher Alyafei, Executive director for Local Development at Qatar Charity.

“We in Qatar Charity have been extending our hands for a long time to extend humanitarian support and we are proud of this project and of the relationship that brings us together today with Qatar Cyclists and Qatar Sandstormers, which we hope will be expanded in order to establish more charitable and humanitarian projects,” added  Alyafei.

Alyafei ended his speech by saying: “Sport today is welcomed into almost every home, making it the perfect medium by which we can reach people’s hearts and spread QC’s noble message.”

Dana Haidan, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability at Vodafone Qatar said: “We are so proud of The Qatar Sandstormers’ achievements and what they’ve done to help disadvantaged families in Qatar"

"The Qatar Sandstormers started their journey in 2012 as a group of Vodafone employees who wanted to combine their passion for cycling with their passion for helping others" She continued.

"Today, they are supported by the community and have been joined by equally passionate people from other corporates in Qatar. Empowering employees to do good and supporting employee charity initiatives is one of our core beliefs at Vodafone,” She concluded.

Qatargas has also expressed its support for the «Cyclists for Education» initiative launched by Qatar Charity in collaboration with Qatar Sandstormars and Qatar Cyclists teams, noting that their support for this initiative is part of Qatargas sponsorship throughout the year for the «Qatar Cyclists» team, who are a distinct group of Qatari citizens and wish to promote philanthropy through cycling.

Mr. Abdullah Al Saady, Administration Director at Amwaj contributed: "In keeping with corporate social responsibility and understanding the importance of supporting local sports to enhance the reputation of Qatar as a center of sporting excellence, AMWAJ signed a full year agreement with QATAR CYCLISTS, the third in the sports sector this year. The first being “1^st Qatar International Taekwondo Championship” and the second was “Qatar American Football team (MAD CAMELS)”.

Mr. Alsaady added: "The company has shouldered to support sporting events and activities taking it as national duty towards the society and in an effort to create an effective partnership with the sports bodies, clubs and sports federations to achieve Qatar National Vision 2030".

Yousef Fakhroo, Director of Marketing & Corporate Communications for the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), said: “The QFC is a proud sponsor of Qatar Sandstormers’ latest cycle ride to raise money for building a school in Gaza. We have followed their story from the very beginning and support their efforts to help disadvantaged communities. We believe that great success comes from great support, which is why we are happy to support Qatar Sandstormers' valuable mission."

QC launched the Cyclists for Education in cooperation with Qatar Sandstormers in a bid to mobilize support for the work of the charity, in addition to raising the awareness of society of the importance of sport, via events held across the State, with the proceeds going towards educational projects.

The agreement was signed by QC Executive Director for Local Development, Nasser Mohammed Al Yafei and Director General of the Qatar Centre for Bicycles and Team Leader of Qatar Cyclists, Abdul Aziz Al-Kuwari

The secondary school will be located in Shaimaa in the northern Gaza Strip, helping improve the educational rate of the area, providing secondary education for students from Beit Lahiya and Bedouin villages in the north Gaza Strip, by creating a suitable learning environment for them, via services such as scientific laboratories and basic supplies necessary for the success of the educational process. It also provides safe and easy to access secondary education services to some 1920 girl students a year from the target area in the northern Gaza Strip

Third International Forum for Humanitarian Action draws to an end

The Third International Forum for Humanitarian Action has drawn to an end.

The forum, hosted by Qatar Charity, brought together humanitarian and risk management organizations in the region and was held under the slogan ‘Together for more effective and safer humanitarian action’.

Among a number of important recommendations in favor of humanitarian action to help tackle the high numbers of crises and other challenges for humanitarian work around the world, it was agreed that the fourth meeting will be held in Kuwait in March 2016.

In the closing session of the forum, during which the recommendations were made, a number of certificates and shields were distributed to all of the organizers, participants and lecturers; thanking them for their role in the support and success of the forum.

These recommendations included all aspects of the main two themes: the code conduct of humanitarian work and issues of safe access to the victims of armed conflict.

The forum involved a series of lectures, sessions and workshops, and QC, within the framework of the recommendations, showed its willingness to finance a comprehensive scientific study on the humanitarian principles and codes of conduct, ways in which humanitarian organizations can apply them and how Arab and Islamic values can be integrated ​​with the code.

These recommendations included an emphasis on the importance of holding the forum on an annual basis, in view of the encouraging results achieved so far, welcoming the efforts of humanitarian organizations in the region in the field of compliance with humanitarian principles and urging them to exert more efforts to strengthen their capabilities in this area via cooperation with each other and other international bodies such as the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, as well as urging humanitarian organizations in the region to engage effectively in the initiatives and make efforts to upgrade and deploy humanitarian principles and develop codes of conduct.

It was also recommended that maximum efforts are made to develop the capabilities of humanitarian organizations in the region in the field of risk management to ensure safe access to beneficiaries during armed conflicts in cooperation with relevant international and regional organizations, and encouraging humanitarian organizations in the region to integrate the relevant risk management within its functions, allocate the necessary resources to this function and enhance cooperation between humanitarian organizations in order to prepare an action guide for humanitarian organizations in the field of risk management during humanitarian interventions in the event of armed conflict. The International Centre for Research and Studies expressed its readiness to submit a proposal in this regard.

Recommendations also called for enhanced coordination and cooperation between humanitarian organizations to participate in private humanitarian principles training programs and secure access to victims of armed conflict. Organizations were encouraged to exchange information and experiences and coordinate humanitarian efforts during armed conflict on the basis of diversity and integration, particularly with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations (OCHA) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in order to promote safe access for beneficiaries.

These recommendations concluded with the need to seek to expand the participation of humanitarian organizations from other Gulf countries not currently involved, and the activation of the follow-up to the recommendations of the forum to make the best use of the efforts made in organizing it, and invest in its outcomes.

The closing session included speeches from the Islamic Cooperation Organization Ambassador Hesham Youssef, who thanked those who had contributed to the success of the forum.

Hesham explained that the forum has contributed effectively through its lectures, workshops and discussions on both the code of conduct of humanitarian work and the access to the victims of armed conflict, to enriching the experiences of the participants who are interested and active in the field of humanitarian action.

Ronald Oovieringr, representative of the International Red Cross office in Kuwait, said that he considered that the forum raised two issues that represent the largest and most important obstacles to humanitarian action.

He noted the efforts of local and regional organizations in the Middle East; pointing out that the International Red Cross opens its doors to these great organizations for effective and safe humanitarian work.

Dr. Atta al-Mannan Bakheet, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Islamic Dawa Organization gave a speech discussing how the forum had evolved and grown which has steadily increased, noting that this expansion confirms the success of the event.

He noted that the forum has moved from public debate to deep specialist debate; through the two pillars of the forum; the code of the principles of humanitarian action and conduct, and issues of safe access to the victims of armed conflicts, expressing his hope that humanitarian action improved as a result of the recommendations made.

The forum was held on May 19 and 20, and participants included regional and international organizations such as QC, Islamic Cooperation Organisation, the International Islamic Relief Organization, Saudi Arabia, the International Committee of the Red Cross (Kuwait Mission), the International Islamic Charitable Organization (Kuwait), Humanitarian Relief Foundation(IHH) (Turkey), the International Centre for Studies and Research, MEDAD (Saudi Arabia), the Organization of the Islamic Dawa (Doha office), Mercy International Foundation (Kuwait) and Al Jazeera Center for Studies (Doha).

In addition to those actively participating in the forum, a number of humanitarian organizations active in the Gulf Cooperation Council attended, including the Red Crescent Societies, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the organizations of the United Nations specialized in the Gulf region, the competent government bodies concerned with humanitarian affairs in the Gulf Cooperation Council, research and study centers interested in humanitarian work within GCC and the most important humanitarian actors in countries where major humanitarian operations are managed.

Both mornings of the forum were devoted to seminars; at a rate of two seminars a day, prepared by academics, researchers and senior experts, alongside four workshops a day, of an hour and a half each, with the workshops on the first day focusing on issues relevant to the Code of Conduct, and the second day on practical issues related to safe access to the victims of armed conflicts.

The following workshops were held: Controversial issues on the humanitarian principles; the code of conduct and the challenges of its application, training of workers on the code of conduct; methodology for developing a code of conduct; humanitarian action risks during armed conflicts; the importance of information in the protection of victims during armed conflicts; networking and enhanced protection, and institutional measures to protect personnel during armed conflicts.