The village consists of 200 apartments, a kindergarten, 2 primary schools, 2 secondary schools, a training center, a medical clinic, a mosque, a market, two water plants and playgrounds for the children.

The village offers comprehensive services to 200 families of the orphans, and 5,000 people from the surrounding regions. It offers shelter, health, education, qualification, sports, and entertainment services.
The village’s work progress is fast. It is expected that it will be entirely established by the middle of next year.

Mohammed Hamed Al Billa, Wali River Nile in Sudan; and His Excellency Mr. Rashid bin Abdu ar-Rahman Al Na’imi, Qatar Ambassador in Sudan; were present during the inspection visit QC’s delegation paid to the village. The delegation was headed by Mr. Youssef bin Ahmed Al Kuwari whose visit was to review the work progress of Rofaqa Village for Orphans which QC had started establishing in River Nile state few months earlier at a cost of 32,000,000 QR. 

 ‘Rofaqa Village’ is considered to be a comprehensive developmental environment which works on developing the orphans’ personalities. It has multiple facilities that offer basic services in the fields of shelter, health, education, qualification, sports and entertainment. The village is situated in Ad-Damar in Nile River state; 200 families of the orphans and 5,000 people from the surrounding regions benefit from it.

Facilities of the Village

The village consists of 200 apartments (for widowed mothers and their orphaned children), a kindergarten, 2 primary schools (one for boys and one for girls), 2 secondary schools (one for boys and one for girls), a training center, a medical clinic, a mosque which can receive 800 performers of prayer, 2 water plants (2 wells with tanks to provide the village with drinking water), playgrounds and fields. The inhabitants of nearby regions are expected to benefit from the services the village offers, as well.

The work on the village started this March (2015) and is expected to be over in January 2016. Although the work on the village was supposed to be over in March 2017, it is expected to be over 9 months earlier because of the fast work progress, and the technology used in building (prefabricated roofs, for example) which QC uses for the first time.

The Ambassador’s Speech

During the inspection visit, Mr. Al Na’imi expressed his appreciation for the Sudanese people stressing the fact that the officials of the two countries work to develop their relationships. He also thanked QC for its distinguished developmental projects.

Mr. Al Kuwari, QC’s CEO, emphasized QC’s interest in establishing the village for the benefit of the orphans, “QC cares so much about the orphans. It aspires that this village will make a difference in their lives and that they will benefit from its services and facilities.”

In addition, a representative of Ad-Damar welcomed the guests and QC’s delegation and commended its efforts in implementing such project. “We are expecting that it will greatly contribute to the development of our region,” said he.

At the end of the ceremony, Mr. Al Billa thanked Qatar and its people for their support of humanitarian work around the world in general and in Sudan in particular. “QC has been of great help in contributing to the peace, stability, and development in Darfur. We thank it for standing by the side of its Muslim brothers and sisters in the poor communities in Asia and Africa. QC is always there to help in times of disasters and catastrophes,” Mr. Al Billa said. He also honored His Excellency the Ambassador of Qatar and QC.

 ‘Rofaqa Initiative’ aims at offering comprehensive care for the orphans and children around the world. It aspires to include all different fields such as social, educational, health and psychological services. Since its establishment in December 2013, 41,000 orphans have been sponsored. QC currently sponsors more than 80,000 orphans worldwide.

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• Sheikh Hamad bin Nasser bin Jassim Al Thani, "This project is part of our humanitarian duty towards the Mauritanian people who are like family to us."
• "Social Housing" project comprises 235 houses whose implementation cost more than 10,000,000 QR. The work on half of the houses is completed.
• The benefiting families were chosen according to certain conditions that were set to identify the neediest beneficiaries.

In a two-day field visit to Mauritania, His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Nasser bin Jassim Al Thani, QC's Head of the board of Directors; and Mr. Youssef bin Ahmed Al Kuwairi, QC's CEO, handed the keys of more than 100 houses to the Mauritanian families benefiting from the 'Social Housing' project.

The beneficiaries who received the keys of the houses were from Nouakchott and R'Kiz District, in Trarza Region 200 km from the capital. The delegation was accompanied by His Excellency Mr. Abdul Rahman Ali Al Kabisi, the Qatari Ambassador of Mauritania; and Mr. Idris As-Sahil, QC's Office Director in Mauritania. The residents and, most importantly, the benefiting families were in the reception of the delegation.

A Huge Project

The project is to build 235 housing units for certain chosen Mauritanian families. So far, 110 houses have been implemented (i.e. 50% of the work is completed). The benefiting families were chosen based on the level of their poverty. Each housing unit comprises 2 rooms, a toilet and a kitchen. The houses were built using reinforced concrete and had high quality doors and windows. The total cost of the project implementation was 10,079,000 QR.

A ceremony was held so as to celebrate handing the keys of the new houses to the beneficiaries. During the event, Sheikh Hamad bin Nasser bin Jassim Al Thani said, "This project is part of our humanitarian duty towards the Mauritanian people who are like family to us. The Qatari philanthropists believe that their donations are part of their duty towards their brothers and sisters. They do not want to be thanked. They just wish Mauritania more development and prosperity."

Field Visit

This project is considered the first of its kind. Delivering the keys of the houses to their new owners was one of its stages. During the field visit, his Excellency Sheikh Hamad reviewed the work progress of QC’s projects there. He also reviewed a summary of the projects that are expected to be implemented through the annual plan for 2016.

In addition, QC’s officials held a meeting while being in Nouakchott. They reviewed QC’s accomplishments in Mauritania. The total cost of projects in 2015 was 25,079,000 QR. The delegation also reviewed QC’s future plans for the country in the fields of education, health, orphans sponsorship, economic empowerment and poverty.

Plans and Projects

Since its first establishment in Mauritania, QC has implemented hundreds of projects from which so many people benefited; 2,400 orphans and poor families benefited from its sponsorship program. The total cost of the implemented projects was 25,079,000 QR. 10,000,000 QR were spent on providing 235 dignified houses for poor families; more than 1,000,000 QR were spent on 305 economic projects; more than 2,100,000 were spent on 4 centers that offer multiple services; and 2,400,000 QR were spent on the establishment of 13 mosques.

Earlier Visit

During the visit, QC's delegation met with 700 of the orphans QC sponsors there and their mothers. The families held a welcoming ceremony for the delegation. It was attended by the Qatari Ambassador of Mauritania; they expressed their gratitude for what Qatar, QC, and the Qatari philanthropists offered to these orphans in particular, and the Mauritanian people in general. 

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Al Kuwairi,

"Coordination and cooperation between active humanitarian actors is necessary to offer better services, and humanitarian and development programs to the countries of the Sahel."

Mr. Toby Lanzer,

"We cannot stop the reasons behind the people's needs in Sahel unless we work using a methodology based on security, development and humanitarian work."

As part of the coordination between Qatari Humanitarian Organizations and OCHA, a round table meeting was held in Doha about humanitarian work in the African countries of the Sahel. Its main objectives were to review the work of the humanitarian actors, to discuss the possible cooperation, and to build partnerships in the countries of the Sahel considering the exacerbating conditions of such countries.  

Mr. Toby Lanzer, the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sahel, and the representatives of Qatari humanitarian societies and institutions attended the meeting. The Qatari organizations included: Qatar Red Crescent, Qatar Charity, Sheikh Eid Charity, Sheikh Thani bin Abdallah for Humanitarian Services (RAF), Al Faisal Foundation, Afif Foundation, Education Above All and Silatech. All the Qatari humanitarian organizations active in the Sahel displayed their achievements there through presentations.

At the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Youssef bin Ahmed Al Kuwairi, QC's CEO, thanked all the people who attended the meeting which discussed a very important region in Africa. The Sahel includes a group of countries where Qatari charity organizations are active.

"QC pays extra attention to this region when it implements its humanitarian projects and programs. It is clear through the fact that we have 5 headquarters in Chad, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso and Mauritania. Through its international and local partners, QC works in the 11 countries of the Sahel," said he.

As he also mentioned, in the last 3 years QC implemented more than 6,000 projects at a cost of around 148,000,000 QR covering most of the sectors. QC is still implementing more projects in the fields of education, health, water, sanitation, food security, livelihoods, economic empowerment and others.

Mr. Al Kuwairi stressed on the importance of cooperating and coordinating with active humanitarian organizations. "Because Qatar Charity believes in its mission and the humanitarian principles of assisting others, it is willing to coordinate and cooperate with all international, regional and local organizations so as to offer humanitarian and developmental programs and services to the countries of the Sahel."

Continuous Crises

Mr. Lanzer said that the exacerbating needs for humanitarian aid are a result of a three dimensional crisis: instability, lack of security, and climate change. "We cannot stop the reasons behind the people's needs in Sahel unless we work using a methodology based on security, development and humanitarian work. The humanitarian actors must always follow up with the deep needs of the countries of the Sahel," said he.

He highlighted the importance of cooperation between the active organizations participating in the development programs to achieve stability. Without such programs, the the need for humanitarian aids will be indefinite.

Mr. Lanzer expressed his gratitude for the Qatari humanitarian organizations and commended their work and efforts. "We thank these organizations for expressing their willingness to cooperate and coordinate. We hope that this meeting will be very successful and that the results will be as great as expected. We also hope it would bring good for the people living in the Sahel."

The work agenda of the round table included exchanging information about the work of Qatari humanitarian organizations in the Sahel, the projects in progress, and the fields they cover. It also covered the chances of cooperation and exchange of partnerships with OCHA, which is covering the humanitarian work in the Sahel. In addition, the meeting was to reinforce coordination mechanisms and exchange of information with the UN.

The African Countries of the Sahel

It is worth mentioning that the Sahel African countries comprise of 9 countries: Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Cameron, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia. Based on the studies conducted by OCHA, the Sahel is one of the most important places for the main humanitarian operation centers for the year 2016. It is expected that 23,500,000 people might suffer from the lack of security of food, healthcare, severe malnutrition, dire shortage in drinking water, malfunction in sanitation and problems in education. The armed disputes and violence made 4,500,000 people displaced.

Since QC always makes sure to offer the best humanitarian aids, it cooperates with international organizations; especially the United Nations. OCHA and QC have a distinguished relationship especially at the level of coordination.