Executive Director of Local Development assured, “More than 2 million people will benefit from our ramadan projects in 1438H, at a cost of about QR 31 million.”

Qatar Charity (QC) has launched its campaign for this year’s Ramadan season entitled “Give and Shine Through”.  The estimated total cost for projects to be implemented inside and outside Qatar, during the Holy Month of Ramadan 1438H, is  QR 31 million, and the number of beneficiaries is expected to reach over 2 million people.

QC held a press conference at Al Jazeera Cafe in the cultural district of Katara to announce launching the campaign. It was run by Mr. Ahmed Al Ali, Director of the Media Department at QC, who started by giving thanks to the social networks and the media for supporting QC’s projects and campaigns. Also, the Executive Director of Local Development at QC and the Chairman of the Ramadan Projects Committee, Ali Atiq al-Abdullah, and a number of directors of various departments in QC have participated in the press conference.

The campaign includes three main projects: Iftar meals, Eid clothing and Zakat al-Fitr, as well as a range of public and religious projects in Qatar, and media programs broadcast through the media and social networks.

The estimated cost of projects outside Qatar is about QR 15 million and is expected to benefit more than 1.1 million people. similarly, the estimated budget for Ramadan projects in Qatar is about QR 16 million, benefiting more than 900,000 people.

Congratulation

Ali Atiq al-Abdullah, on behalf of QC, congratulated the people of Qatar and the Arab and Islamic nations, praying for having a good and rewarding Ramadan and reminding them not to forget their brethren with need. He also stimulated them to help people in this month with their generosity and giving, based on the words of the Almighty, “And if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people.”

Giving a hand

He urged benefactors and donors to lend their brothers a helping hand by donating to Qatar relief and development projects inside and outside Qatar, such as relief to the Syrian people, orphans and Needy Families Sponsorship, educational and health projects and income-generating projects so as to support the beneficiaries.

Internal projects

QC's projects in Qatar include a wide variety of Ramadan Iftar projects, and watering, and they extend to popular and cultural programs and challenging projects that allow for competition among the youth volunteer teams in cooperation and partnership with a number of related parties. Some of which are being implemented for the first time, while others have been developed. The most important of these projects are:

Fast Breaking Dinners

The number of fasting meals held or supported by QC is 23 group tables. They are distributed throughout the country for the sake of single workers, wayfarers, and low-income individuals. QC has fully taken the responsibility for completely offering 20 tables, and helping to provide 3 other tables. It is expected that 170,670 people will benefit from these dining tables, at a cost of about QR 5.5 million.

The targeted areas of iftar include Al Khor, Smeisma, Khareteyat, Gharafa, Rayan, Shahaneya, Wakrah, Bin Mahmoud, Freij Abdul Azeez, Najma, Mansoura, Bit Omran, Matar, Seleya, Jmeileya, Um Salal Muhammed, Al Ruwais, and Al Kaaban.

There are some projects that go under the Iftar project. The most important of which are:

From Home to Home

A project that enables Qatari families to prepare Iftar meals for families with limited income to reach their homes. They will be about 9000 meals throughout the holy month.

Farms Workers Iftar

The farms workers gatherings are targeted in six regions of the country and breakfast meals will be served for 600 workers per day, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to 18,000.

Doha Industrial Area’s workers Iftar

The project focuses on the workers' gatherings in the industrial area, through dedicated cars to daily distribute breakfast meals. The project is expected to benefit 12,000 workers during Ramadan.

Ramadan Food Baskets

The project provides supply requirements of Ramadan for limited-income families through coupons distributed by QC or the referees. Supplies are received from the shopping malls at the beginning of Ramadan, targeting 1500 families.

Mobile Iftar

Targeting 15,000 fasting people, it provides light Iftar meals prepared by Qatari families who are in easy circumstances. The meals are distributed to motorists who hear sunset call to prayer before arriving at their homes.

SoQya, Providing Water to Prayers

The project daily distributes water to the prayers during Taraweeh and voluntary night prayer in 43 mosques. It targets more than 8064 worshipers, bringing the number of targeted throughout the holy month to 242.000 people.

Public and Cultural projects

Youth entrepreneurship competition "Entrepreneurship"

The idea is to encourage youth to compete in order to organize entrepreneurship activities to serve the community, and support Ramadan projects and external humanitarian projects, in cooperation with one of university student clubs and community development centers in QC, and then choose the best initiatives and honor who launch them.

Al- Baraha Programme for Communities

A public program that includes Iftar meals and a number of entertainment and awareness events for fostering values. It revolves around the children of communities living in Qatar and is expected to benefit 10,000 people in more than one community.

A Dialogue with Influential Figures in Ramadan

A weekly meeting in Katara throughout Ramadan, hosting a personality of intellectuals and writers, to discuss a cause of concern to the community with them, and seek to provide them solutions.

Believers

An activity held helping the community members to getused to adhere to the Prophetic Sunnah and good behaviors such as: visit the sick people, attend the funerals and feed the poor.

Cohabitation

A targeted activity for non-Muslim foreign people to familiarize them with the customs and traditions of Qatari society by organizing a day of cooperation with Muslims and engaging them in voluntary activities such as Iftar meals and visiting the gatherings.

Orphans' Gifts (Eideyas)

A celebration in which Eideya (an amount of money which is given in Eid) are distributed to orphans before Eid al-Fitr. In this regard, QC urges the public to donate money in order to put a smile on the faces of this group.

Projects outside Qatar

QC carries out its Ramadan projects in 37 countries around the world. These projects are divided into three main projects: Ramadan, Eid, and Zakat Al Fitr, with a value of about QR 15 million. More than 1.1 million people are expected to benefit from it, with a focus on countries which suffer from crises and disasters.

Iftar

The Iftar project is the largest of Ramadan projects, with a value of QR 10,031,451. It is expected that 952,889 people will benefit from the project, of which around QR 1.5 million will be allocated to the displaced and Syrian refugees. Besides, the allocations of Yemen, Somalia, Palestine, and Iraq are increased in these projects.

The target countries include: Bangladesh, Benin, Chad, Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Pakistan, Senegal, Sudan, Sudan,  Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, Iraq, Togo, United Kingdom, Lebanon, Morocco, Philippines, Bosnia, Kyrgyzstan, Tunisia, Kosovo, Albania and Turkey.

In addition, food has been allocated to affected people in Syria and Somalia (flour, bread, food baskets) worth more than QR 3.2 million, and is expected to benefit about 100,000 people.

Eid clothing

Benefiting 3786 orphans in 21 countries, Eid clothing project aims at gladdening the orphans sponsored by QC through offering them clothes before Eid al-Fitr, at an estimated cost of QR 378,600.

Zakat al-Fitr

QC is implementing this project, targeting 82,830 people in 33 countries across the world at an estimated cost of QR 1,242,457 in order to spread the joy among Muslims on the day of Eid al-Fitr, and to avail the needy.

 By: Afaf Ali

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Every day during this month, Muslims around the world spend the daylight hours in a complete fast. The word "Ramadan" comes from the Arabic root word for "parched thirst" and "sun-baked ground." It is expressive of the hunger and thirst felt by those who spend the month in fasting. Fasting is another unique moral and spiritual characteristic of Islam.

During the Blessed month of Ramadan, Muslims all over the world abstain from all food, drink, and other physical needs during the daylight hours. Ramadan is much more than just not eating and drinking; it is a time to purify the soul, refocus attention on God, and practice self-discipline and sacrifice. Through increased devotion, Muslims feel closer to their Creator and recognize that everything we have in this life is a blessing from Him.

Fasting is considered one of the five Pillars of Islam; five activities that shape a Muslim's life. Prayer occurs on a daily basis; pilgrimage is done once in a lifetime; charity and professing one's faith are both ongoing. It is an annual observance; every year, Muslims take an entire month out of their lives to observe this strict fast and rededicate themselves to worship and faith.

Muslims are called upon to use this month to re-evaluate their lives in light of Islamic guidance. We are to make peace with those who have wronged us, strengthen ties with family and friends, do away with bad habits essentially to clean up our lives, our thoughts, and our feelings. Through self-control, a Muslim practices good manners, good speech, and good habits.

Muslims feel the physical effects of the fast as a reminder of those who suffer throughout the year, those who are poor, homeless, refugees, and who cannot meet their basic needs. It reminds Muslims not to be wasteful and to feel empathy for those who face hunger on a daily basis.   We should feel gratitude for the bounties of Allah: clean water, sufficient healthy food, the comfort of a home, health of our family members. There are so many in the world who must survive without these basic needs, and Ramadan is a time for us to give thanks and reaffirm our commitment to helping those in need.

During Ramadan, every part of our bodies must be restrained. The tongue must be restrained from backbiting and gossip. The eyes must restrain themselves from looking at unlawful things. The hand must give in charity, and not touch or take anything that does not belong to it. The ears must refrain from listening to idle talk or obscene words. The feet must refrain from going to sinful places. In such a way, every part of the body observes the fast.

Therefore, fasting is not merely physical but is rather the total commitment of the person's body and soul to the spirit of the fast. Ramadan is a time to practice self-restraint; a time to cleanse the body and soul from impurities and re-focus one's self on the worship of God and charity to mankind.

Note: The article expresses the opinion of the author solely and does not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of Qatar Charity.

In conjunction with the launch of Fasting iftar project 2017, Qatar Charity began distributing food baskets to hundreds of affected families inside Syria in order to cover their food needs during Ramadan.

Ramadan baskets were distributed to 500 Syrian families at a total of 3,000 members. Qatar Charity is expected to provide sufficient food baskets during the holy month. In addition, fasting Iftar projects will nearly cater 280,000 people at a cost of QR1.5 million.

Iftar Kitchens.

"Qatar charity began distributing food baskets and implementing fasting Iftar projects  inside Syria as million Syrians live difficult conditions resulting from the population displacement. Consequently, the poverty and unemployment rate has remarkably increased," said Mr. Mohammed Al-Kaabi, QC's Relief Department Director.

He added that Qatar Charity continues the humanitarian and relief efforts based on Prophet Mohammed's Hadith, “Whoever gives food and water to a fasting person to break his fast will have a reward like his without decreasing his reward in the slightest way.” Therefore, Ramadan kitchens were established to distribute free ready-made meals to 280 needy and displaced families inside and outside camps.

Al-Kaabi  extended his deep thanks to the philanthropists for their great efforts in relieving and donating for Syrians especially in Ramadan.

37 Countries

It is noteworthy that Qatar Charity implements Ramadan projects in 37 countries including Iftar tables, Eid clothing and Al-fitr Zakat at a cost of around QR15 million, benefiting 1.1 million people.  The focus is on countries experiencing crises and disasters.

Fasting Iftar project is the largest ramadan project 2017 amounting to QR 10million and targeting 950.000 beneficiaries outside Qatar.

Food Aids

The targeted countries include Syria, Bangladesh, Niger, India, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Mauritania, Indonesia, Yemen, Ethiopia, Nepal, Palestine, Sudan, Djibouti, Ghana, Benin, Chad, Jordan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, Iraq, Togo, United Kingdom, Lebanon, Morocco, Philippines, Tunisia, Kosovo, Albania, Turkey.

Food aids are to be distributed to the affected people in Syria and Somalia including (flour, bread, food baskets) at a cost of nearly QR3.2 million benefiting about 100,000 people.