Ms. Booth: “I chose QC because I already knew its excellent work in the field of charity in general and for the Palestinians in particular.”

After receiving an invitation from QC, Ms. Lauren Booth, a journalist and British activist, visited QC in Doha so as to work together to support the Palestinian families which suffer from poverty and the siege.

Ms. Booth is considered to be one of the most famous pro-Arab activists who helped break the siege which was imposed by the occupation on the Gaza Strip. She is currently dedicating her life and efforts to guarantee a better life for the Palestinians.

Poverty and Unemployment

Through its one-week visit to QC, Ms. Booth sought to cooperate with QC to help the affected Palestinian families, and to implement economic and social projects for the victims of poverty, unemployment, Israeli attacks and the siege.

During her visit, Ms. Booth met a number of QC’s officials who, together, discussed the sufferings of the Palestinians; especially those living in the Gaza Strip. They also discussed their need for aids and relief campaigns because of the horrible situation they’re living in.

Many QC projects were displayed during the meetings to show the important role of these developmental and relief projects in stabilizing the Palestinian families’ circumstances. Some income-generating projects implemented by QC in Palestine were displayed such as providing dairy cows, sheep, poultry, means of transportation, and others.

These projects helped provide a fixed income for hundreds of Palestinian families, and helped create many job opportunities for the unemployed. In addition, it changed so many families to become productive. As a result, the number of beneficiaries increased. 

Ms. Booth’s visit included attending a number of activities such as participating in an event with the Qatari Business Women Association in cooperation with the Youth for Jerusalem Association, the women’s department; attending a lecture at a Holy Quran memorization center; and visiting some senior figures.

Alleviate the Suffering

Ms. Lauren Booth expressed her happiness for visiting QC and knowing about its different humanitarian projects in Palestine. “After having lived with the Palestinians, I understood exactly how much they suffer and how much help and support they need. Their circumstances are getting worse day by day because of the occupation and the siege. I chose QC because I know about its excellent work in the field of charity in general and for the Palestinians in particular. QC’s projects in Gaza are very important in providing a living for the people there,” said she.  

She also spoke about how when she first went to Palestine, she was surprised to see the amount of suffering the Palestinians were going through, and it was that which made her exert all the efforts she could to help alleviate their sufferings.

“QC’s projects in Palestine are distinguished, and I hope these projects increase in number. I know how generous the Qatari people are; especially when it’s about their brothers and sisters from other countries. These projects, definitely, help the Palestinians and help fight poverty and unemployment,” said Ms. Booth.

A Better Life

It is worth mentioning that QC was recently able to implement thousands of income-generating projects in Palestine which helped thousands of families have a better life. The beneficiaries included widows, orphans, breadwinners, poor people, the unemployed and other needy categories.

QC had also inaugurated ‘We Build Palestine’ campaign to contribute in the development of the Palestinian people inside and outside Palestine as part of ‘Hand in Hand We Build Palestine’ campaign. This campaign finances and implements huge development projects at a cost of 197,826,000QR. It is expected that 1,147,000 people will benefit.

QC’s projects target all of the Palestinians in Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the Palestinian refugees in the refugees’ camps of Lebanon and Jordan.

 ‘Hand in Hand We Build Palestine’ campaign was first inaugurated as a relief response to the circumstances facing the Palestinians in general and the people living in the Gaza strip in particular; taking into consideration the destruction the last Israeli attack caused. More than 2,000 people were martyred and 11,200 were injured, and thousands of families were displaced and their homes were destroyed.

• Al Kuwari: The Aids have included all the basic and necessary elements of shelter, food, drugs, and education.
• Out of the shelter projects, 760,776 hardest-hit people have benefited, out of food, 2,991,000 million population has benefited, out of health, 1,936,386 million people have benefited, and out of education, 394,905 people have benefited.
• Out of the biggest shelter projects, Al Rayyan City and Al Doha Charitable City at the Turkish-Syrian borders, each of which includes 1000 housing units.

6,083,517 million hardest-hit people out of Syrian displaced and refugees have benefited from Qatar Charitable Relief Projects, where its total costs amounted to 322 million rials during the period from April 2011 through the last September of (2015).

As a result of the critical circumstances the population lives there, 67 % out of these aids has been addressed to the internal Syrian community in a cost that amounted to about 213,063,000 million rials, while the rest percentage has been addressed to the refugees in the neighboring countries, especially Lebanon in a percentage of 18% which amounts to 58,272,000 million rials, Jordan in a percentage of 8% which means an amount about 26,889,000 million rials, Turkey in a percentage of 5,5% which amounts to about 19,000,000 million rials, and the percentage of 1,5% which amounts to 4,500,000 million rials has been distributed between Iraq and other countries that have Syrian refugees living in.

Since the start of the crisis, the Qatar Charitable projects implemented for the interest of the Syrian people have included the following programs: shelter in an amount of 120,214,000 million rials, food in an amount of 102,561,000 million rials, health which amounted to a total cost off 68,214,000 million rials, and education in an amount of 30,755,000 million rials.

The size of Qatar Charitable projects for the interest of the Syrian people has made it possible that Qatar Charitable get the first record worldwide at the level of Non-Governmental Humanitarian Organizations in relieving the Syrian people, according to the Financial Tracking System (FTS) of the International Relief Aids related to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs “ OCHA” 2014.

Alleviation and Consolation

Mr. Yusuf Ben Ahmad Al Kuwari, the Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Charitable said that these projects are implemented in the context of Qatar Charitable continuous endeavor to alleviate the Syrian brothers’suffering, and to help them overcome the suffering caused by the ongoing crisis in Syria since more than four years, adding that these aids have included all the basic and necessary elements from shelter, food, drugs, and education.

Mr. Kuwari, has indicated that Qatar Charitable has targeted all hardest-hit Syrian people, yet, the displaced group living inside Syria is one of the first targets and most important, therefore, Qatar Charitable is focusing on helping it, and is doing its utmost effort to approach it, where Mr. Al Kuwari has made it sure that the crisis is going on, the tragedy becomes aggravated, and Winter is about to come with the suffering getting more cruel.

Al Kuwari has also added that Qatar Charitable would leave no stone unturned to approach the Syrian brothers, and console them in every financial and spiritual way possible, in order to alleviate their suffering and closely communicate with them, paying attention to the fact that supporting the Syrian people is continuous until it overcomes its suffering, making it clear that whoever sees the reality of the Syrian brothers, displaced and refugees, would never postpone and wait before giving them a hand of help.

Food

Qatar Charitable has focused on food as the basic life substrate, where the food materials caravans have been sent to inside Syria, in addition to distributing the basic catering materials’ parcels, distributing flour, operating a number of stoves and kitchens, and funding projects for implanting potatoes and wheat, therein, the total costs of food projects amount to 102,561,000 million rials, out of which, 2,991,000 hardest-hit people have benefited from the Syrian crisis, most of which are displaced inside Syria, in addition to some refugees at the Turkish borders.

Out of these food projects, is the “Mobile Stove” inside Syria for which its construction and operation costs have exceeded 3,000,000 million rials during 6 months, and it produces 60,000 thousands loaves daily.

Shelter

Qatar Charitable has been able within the shelter program, to establish villages and housing cities made beforehand, with their premises for the interest of displaced, in addition to establishing the housing units, and distributing clothes, blankets, fire-places and fire fuel.

The number of housing units established until now, or about to be completed has amounted to 2500 units, out of the biggest projects in this program are Al Rayyan City and the Charitable Doha City at the Turkish-Syrian borders, each of which includes 1000 housing units, these are exceptional with being friend to the environment, and they have all needed supplies of mosques, school classes, sewage system, health points and playgrounds for the children, where the shelter projects costs amounted to 120,214,000 million rials for the interest of 760,776 million people.

Health

At the health projects program, Qatar Charitable have concentrated mainly on establishing and operating hospitals, injured and patients treatment fund, in addition to providing the medical supplies, and ambulance cars, where Al Amal Hospital has been established and operated for the Syrian refugees in the South of Turkey, the Medical Fund for the Syrian Refugees in Lebanon, Artificial Limbs, the Qatari Treatment Fund for the Syrian Injured in Jordan, as well as establishing a Children Psychiatric Center , and funding its activities.

The total costs of health projects implemented by Qatar Charitable for the Syrian people have amounted to 68,214,000 million rials, out of which 1,936,386 million people have benefited from, among refugees and displaced.

Education

The aids provided by Qatar Charitable to the Syrian people in education program have included education, as the refugee and displaced need for it acts as their need to food, health, and shelter while education acts as a protection for the coming generations from ignorance and loss, it also provides them with an opportunity to change their reality and their families’ reality to the best.

In this context, schools have been established, refurbished , and operated, educational curricula have been printed out, where more than 1,704,000 million books have been printed at a cost that amounted to 8,4 million rials, classes have also been opened for eradication of Illiteracy , and Quran education seminars, and other useful  and purposeful projects, where the education projects costs amounted to 30,755,000 million rials, out of which 394,905 million people have benefited among refugees and displaced.

You can donate to support such projects through the link:  Click here

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.

You can donate to support such projects through the link:Click here