• The Project is Implemented by QC and sponsored by the Gulf Cooperation Council under the administration of the Islamic Development Bank – Jeddah

Sponsored by the Gulf Cooperation Council under the supervision of the Islamic Development Bank – Jeddah, QC implemented a project to recover the poultry and red meat sector in Gaza Strip. 170 affected Palestinian farmers in Khan Younes (in the Southern region of Gaza strip) out of 533 affected farmers across the strip signed contracts to benefit from the project.

Receiving the Amends:

The project cost more than 7,000,000 QR. The money is supposed to be delivered in payments to the farmers according to their needs and losses.

During the contracts’ signing ceremony that was held in Khan Younes Engineer Mohammed Abou Haloub, QC’s director in Gaza, said, “Supported by the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah and the Gulf Cooperation Council, QC emphasizes their commitments towards their Palestinian brothers and sisters.” Mr. Abou Haloub also said that the project was implemented in complete cooperation and coordination with the Palestinian authorities; mainly the Ministry of Agriculture. The aim was to achieve fair distribution of the project’s budget to the chosen owners of damaged farms, especially the farmers damaged by the 2008 and earlier Israeli attacks which targeted all governorates in Gaza Strip.

He addressed the beneficiaries saying, “We are aware that any amends or money amounts presented by the project comprise only a little of your loss and sufferance.” He emphasized that the project presented financial support to 533 affected farmers across the strip.

Production Improvement

Abou Haloub thanked the contributors to the project’s funding and administration, led by the Gulf Cooperation Council’s program for Reconstructing Gaza Strip, the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah, and the national staff including mainly the members of the project’s instructive committee and the technical and management staffs.

Mr. Adel Atallah, the Assistant under Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, deeply thanked QC’s office in Gaza for its efforts to support agriculture and develop the animal production.

Mr. Atallah emphasized that the Ministry was happy to cooperate with QC for the benefit of the farmers affected by the aggression in the Gaza Strip. He stressed that these farmers should make the utmost use of the project’s amends to reform the damaged farms.

Meanwhile, Mr. Imad Al-Agha, Head of Public Relations in the Municipality of Khan Younes, commended QC’s efforts to serve different sectors in Gaza including agriculture and animal production.

He said, “I thank you on behalf of the Mayor and staff of the Municipality of Khan Younes. We appreciate the generous efforts paid by Qatar and the office of QC in Gaza. The efforts have clear and direct impact on improving Gaza’s infrastructure and reconstructing the damage caused by the Israeli Occupation in Gaza.”

The farmer Nafe’ Abu Rass delivered a speech on behalf of the farmers. He thanked the Qatari government, people, and associations for their efforts in amending the farmers affected by the aggression. He also stressed on the need for Qatar’s continuous efforts to relieve the Gaza Strip from the siege.

Water Filtration

As part of its project to restore and develop agricultural lands, QC had previously drilled a well for the benefit of 50 farmers from Umm AlNasr Village in the northern region of the Gaza Strip.

The well irrigates 100 donums of agricultural land, serving 50 Palestinian farmers who suffer from water scarcity in the region. This project should allow them to invest in the land by varying crops.

Before this, QC worked on securing potable water for over 3,000 poor Gazan families. Seeking to face the water crisis in the Gaza Strip, QC is implementing a project to filter rainwater and inject it in the underground tanks of 30 public schools. The project is to help face the water scarcity from which the inhabitants suffer. All these projects were funded by the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah.

In its report regarding the water status in the Gaza Strip, the United Nations warned about how dangerous the situation is. The report said that things would be catastrophic if nothing was done to fix them. It also pointed that the Strip needs desalination plants much more than it does roads.

• His Excellency Abdul-Raqib Saif Fath, "QC has contributed to the alleviation of the sufferings of the Yemeni people."

QC hosted a preparatory workshop organized by QC and 12 other humanitarian organizations. It was attended by His Excellency Mr. Abdul-Raqib Saif Fath, Minister of Local Administration and the Chairman of the Higher Committee for Relief in Yemen.

The initiative committee included the Higher Committee for Relief, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Arab League, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (Saudi Arabia), The International Committee of the Red Cross (Switzerland), Qatar Charity Society, International Humanitarian City (Emirates), International Medical Corps (United States of America), International Islamic Charitable Organization (Kuwait), Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH Turkey), Start Network (Britain), and International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA in Switzerland).

The workshop was held for the preparation of the Conference of Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen: Challenges and Prospects of the Humanitarian Response. The initiators met for consultation, coordination and cooperation so as to face the deteriorating situation of the Yemenis and their increasing sufferings.

Humanitarian Contributions

During the workshop, Mr. Fath spoke about the great humanitarian efforts QC exerted to alleviate the sufferings of the affected Yemenis who have been suffering from the recent escalation of the crisis in their country.

In addition, he displayed to the attendants the humanitarian circumstances in Yemen and clarified the procedures that are followed in dealing with the situation. He explained, "Our work is divided into several stages. The first stage includes an urgent relief campaign for all of the territories. We are done working on this stage and we started with the second stage which covers the territories where hostilities have stopped. We identify the needs and in cooperation with our partners, we plan our response."

Mr. Abdul-Raqib commended QC's work. "QC is considered to be one of the most active humanitarian organizations in Yemen. With the continuous increase in the numbers of the injured in Yemen, QC's support to the Health sector is spectacular. The Health Sector requires bigger operating theatres and more ambulances," added he.

The conference seeks to unite the visions of the active partners in assisting the Yemenis. It aspires to set the floor for an exchange of information, reinforcement of applied procedures related to identifying the Yemenis' needs according to their type and geographical distribution. It is also to help develop the work plans and joint initiatives.

Mr. Mohammed bin Ali Al Ghamdi, QC's CEO of International Development, said that QC has proven its entire and continuous commitment to offering humanitarian and relief aids to the Yemenis. "QC has not spared any effort to alleviate the sufferings of the Yemenis and provide all the necessary means and supplies for a better life."

He also emphasized on QC's role in hosting and organizing the conference about the Yemeni crisis and how such efforts reflect QC's continuous work for the benefit of the Yemenis regionally and internationally. "QC always makes sure to coordinate, cooperate and exchange information with active humanitarian actors in the Yemeni crisis. It also prioritizes implementing relief projects inside Yemen considering the fact that its people are in deep need for aids. Many people who live there suffer from great shortages in drinking water, food and medications," said he.

QC, as Al Ghamdi said, will exert more efforts to respond to the most urgent calls for relief. It will cooperate with all of the active partners and the parties interested in the Yemenis' affairs, whether those related to the displaced, the besieged inside Yemen, or refugees outside Yemen in order to enable them to receive all of the means for a dignified life.

"Yemen, We Are With You"

It is worth mentioning that QC had already inaugurated a campaign entitled 'Yemen, We Are With You' when the crisis first started. It aimed at collecting a financial support of 36,500,000 QR in order to provide food and medication to around 1,260,000 Yemenis. QC also hosted the workshop on the humanitarian situation in Yemen which was attended by several humanitarian institutions from the Gulf and the Islamic World. The meeting resulted in creating a mechanism and a plan for urgent humanitarian intervention, and announcing commitments and pledges by the participants in order to hurry in offering urgent aids. 

• "We hope that our national institutions would follow the steps of ExxonMobil Qatar and Microsoft Qatar’s and support the child-centered programs."- Director of QC centers

As a part of its annual winter program, the fourth edition, the Executive Department for Local Development at QC launched "Leaders of the Future" program for the orphans that Qatar Charity is sponsoring.

The program included a workshop for programming computer games that targeted more than 20 "future-leaders" students. The workshop aims at developing the skills of using computers and at introducing the children to programming principles, and using Microsoft’s Kodu visual programming language. Microsoft Qatar had hosted the programming part of the camp and offered a skilled trainer who delivered an intense workshop for around one week. The children were able to program a game of their own creation and tested it practically with their peers.

 Ali Al Gharib, Head of the Local Developmental Centers at QC, stated, “The Winter camp was organized with the aim of integrating the "future leaders" with the society in an atmosphere of benefit and joy.”

 The executive department of local development at QC organized the annual spring program for more than 130 future-leader students starting last January until 4^th of February. In addition to the computer games programming workshop, the camp included Science Made Fun Workshops facilitated by Qatar Science Club, arts & crafts workshops, a robotics workshop, sport activities and other soft skills courses (Building Self-Confidence , Being Positive).

The program received the attention of ExxonMobil Qatar that sponsored it and made its implementation possible.

Stated that "In Qatar, ExxonMobil provides the energy to drive human potential through its partnerships and support of local programs, such as Qatar Charity’s Future Leaders program. By encouraging students to learn new skills and make full use of their personal talents and strengths, the Future Leaders program is helping to develop the next generation of Qatar’s workforce,” said Abdullatif Al-Naemi, National Development Manager for ExxonMobil Qatar. “The program creates an interest in programming at a young age and provides participating children with an opportunity to learn computing skills – a necessary requirement as the world becomes ever more dependent on computers.”

 “We are proud to play a role in helping foster a powerful generation of workers who are tech-savvy and confident, and who can build a bright future for Qatar,” he added. 

Al Gharib appreciated ExxonMobil Qatar’s support and full cooperation with QC to organize the event. He wished that all local institutions and organizations would follow the same path as part of their social responsibilities to boost the local society, especially in the field of cultivating skills and talents.

Winter Programs

It is worth mentioning that the QC Community Development Centers, under the executive department of local development, have organized events for the winter vacation that target hundreds of students, especially orphans. The events include camps, Umrah trips to Mecca, and different cultural, educational, and entertainment activities. The targets of these events are students from different schools and ages.

Future Leader

QC gives priority for social and educational care for the "future leaders" candidates, filling their free time with activities that would help them and deepen their belief to make them capable of bearing the burdens of life. The programs aim at sharpening the children’s skills and abilities through various cultural, entertainment, and sport activities. They also offer care for the orphans’ families.

Social Responsibilities

QC has established a specialized center for community partnership to introduce the QC developmental programs, and to exert efforts to bring such programs into effect through partnerships with the public and private sectors. QC has singed many partnerships with national organizations and companies, allowing them to provide effective community programs that are designed, implemented, and socially tested by a specialized team at QC. This offers the chance for different institutions to maximize the impacts and benefits of the budgets allocated for community programs by approaching QC CSR team.