• QC the first charity society to reach the people affected by the Chapala Cyclone in Socotra and other Yemeni cities. It was able to relieve 3,000 affected.

The first charity society that reaches the cities where the cyclone hit, QC was able to implement an urgent relief campaign from which 3,000 people benefited. QC’s field team is currently assessing the situation and evaluating the damages as to prepare for another relief campaign soon. The coming campaign is meant to offer aids and to rebuild what’s been destroyed.

Since last Saturday, the campaign’s been in effect. 500 families which were affected by the cyclone in Socotra, Hadramaut, Al Mahrah, and Shabwah received aids.

QC has distributed food baskets to all the families which were affected. Each basket had supplies sufficient for a month such as flour, rice, sugar, cooking oil, baby milk, legumes, and others. In addition, the families received 4 blankets,4 mattresses, 4 pieces of clothes for children and kitchen tools.

As QC’s team is currently evaluating the damages the cyclone left, QC’s other teams are offering aids to the affected by Chapala Cyclone in the island. QC is working in cooperation with local organizations as a first step to launch an urgent relief campaign that includes distributing relief supplies and reconstruction plans.

Engineer Rashid bin Fatis Al Mari, QC’s Director of Relief, said that QC’s immediate response reflects its commitment to its humanitarian duty towards the Yemeni people. Unfortunately, they are suffering from the aftermath of war and natural disasters. “QC was the first charity society to respond and offer aids to the Chapala-cyclone affected. It has a well-prepared team that is trained to respond to disasters,” said he and expressed his hope that such aids would help alleviate the sufferings of the affected.

According to some reports, 15 people died; two of which were women and other two were children; and 2 went missing in the Megh Cyclone which hit Socotra. In addition, 500 houses were entirely destroyed while 3,000 houses were partially damaged because of the Chapala and Megh Cyclones which hit the island in less than two weeks. The statistics show that 10,000 people are currently displaced because of them. The cyclones were also responsible for uprooting hundreds of palm trees and the death of thousands of cattle, the loss of hundreds of fishing boats and the destruction of electricity columns and communication lines.

Furthermore, 840,000 people benefited from QC’s aids set aside for Yemen during 2015 because of the ongoing crisis there. The aids were distributed at a cost of 21,500,000 QR. They included foodstuffs, homes, shelters, blankets, cleaning tools, health projects, ambulances, medical supplies, and education projects.

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

• The aids, from which 585 families benefited, included foodstuffs and cleaning materials.
• Sheikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al Thani, “I thank QC for its efforts in relieving the displaced Syrians and refugees, and distributing aids to the Yemeni refugees.

With the participation of Sheikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al Thani, the Arab League’s Special Envoy for Humanitarian Affairs and QC’s Goodwill Ambassador, QC distributed humanitarian relief aids to the Yemeni refugees in the coastal region of Obock.

From which 585 Yemeni families in Obock benefited, the aids included basic foodstuffs and cleaning materials.

Easy and Accurate

Sheikha Hessa participated in the distribution of the aids which reached all Yemeni families in Djibouti. She also visited QC’s office in Djibouti to review with its staff the conditions of the Yemeni refugees and what they would need in the future.

The aids were distributed in coordination with the concerned authorities including ONARS (the Organisation National d’Assistance aux Réfugiéset Sinistrés), government representatives in Obock, and representatives of the Yemeni refugees in the city. This cooperation led to the ease and accuracy of distribution to all refugees.

Relieving the Sufferance

Mr. Faisal Rashid al-Fahida, QC’s Executive Director of Operations, said that QC proved its ultimate commitment to provide the Yemeni refugees with the necessary aids, hoping to relieve their sufferance and secure a better life for them.

He emphasized that QC gave priority in its relief projects to the people inside Yemen, where many could have no access to potable water, food, or medicine.

Mr. Al- Fahida added that QC would exert extra efforts in the future with all partners concerned with the Yemeni people (inhabitants and refugees) to meet their most pressing humanitarian needs.

Deliberative Conference

On a related matter, Sheikha Hessa commended QC’s efforts in relieving the affected people specially the displaced Syrians and refugees. She mentioned her previous participation in inaugurating several projects implemented by QC near the Syrian Turkish borders. She also praised QC’s responsiveness with her initiative to distribute relief aids to Yemeni refugees in Obock region.

The Sheikha’s words were delivered in the deliberative conference to which she had invited all local and foreign Arabic and Islamic charity organizations in Djibouti last Wednesday. The conference was part of the League of Arab State’s plan to develop its humanitarian work and activate the Arabic coordination mechanism. She also said that her role was to pay field visits, present studies to the concerned ministerial councils, and contact national and international organizations to coordinate the humanitarian work,

Yemen, We are With You

QC opened an office in Djibouti to provide humanitarian aids to the Yemeni refugees and coordinate the funding and implementation of relief projects in Yemen in addition to offering relief aids to the poor in Djibouti.

QC inaugurated in the beginning of the Yemeni crisis a relief campaign entitled “Yemen,We are With you”. The objective was to raise 36,500,000 QR to provide about 1,260,000 Yemenis with food and medicine. It also supervised the distribution of 240 tons of varied Qatari aids that had been airlifted to Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport. In addition, QC hosted the deliberative conference that discussed the humanitarian conditions in Yemen and was attended by numerous humanitarian organizations from the Arab Gulf and the Islamic World. The conference drew a plan for rapid humanitarian intervention and distributed the roles among humanitarian actors who announced their commitment to offering rapid humanitarian aids.

QC was the first Qatari humanitarian association that to relieve the people affected by the Chapala cyclone which hit the island “Socotra” and a number of Coastal cities in Yemen. It immediately implemented a relief campaign from which 3,000 displaced people benefited.

More than 936,000 people benefited from the relief aids assigned to Yemen in 2015 at a cost of 24,700,000 QR.

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

• 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.