QC Holds an Event Entitled ‘Palestine: Where I found Islam’

Through its office in the Strip and in cooperation with Ghaith for Relief and Development, QC has recently started implementing ‘Providing Drinking Water’ project to the poor. More than 3,000 poor families are expected to benefit from it. It will take around 8 months for the project to be implemented at a cost of 262,000 QR.

Kidney Diseases

The Municipalities in the Strip provide the citizens with salty water only, which could cause many different diseases such as kidney diseases. Therefore, QC decided to implement this project in order to provide the poor families with good drinking water.

Eng. Mohammed Abu Halloub, QC’s Office Director in the Strip, said that this project is being implemented because QC wants to alleviate the sufferings of those who cannot afford to get good drinking water, and to prevent the diseases spread because of water pollution. He also emphasized the fact that water projects are on the top QC’s priorities’ list since the siege and the attacks on the Strip have destroyed all of the water networks, which were not even sufficient.

QC, as he also mentioned, will not spare an effort until it has helped the needy families and offered a good living opportunities for the needy; whether through relief or development projects.

Water Crisis

The Strip’s aquifer is both polluted and empty which made the Strip suffer from a dire water crisis. As a result, the Gazan families who are financially stable buy filtered water, while the poor families still use the brackish water provided by the municipalities.

To help face this crisis, QC is implementing a project to filter rainwater and to inject it into the aquifer in around 30 public schools.

The UN had already warned from the worsening situation of water in the Strip. According to the UN’s report, if the current conditions remain the same, the situation in 2016 will be catastrophic. The Strip is in great need for desalination plants a hundred times more than roads.

Reconstruction of Gaza

After all the destruction and wreckage the last aggression on the Strip caused, QC spared no effort to help rebuild the Strip.

More than 2,000 people were martyred during the aggression, 11,200 were injured, and thousands of families, whose houses were demolished, were displaced. Furthermore, many infrastructure facilities such as roads, hospitals, schools, and factories were destroyed.

The last brutal attack on the Gaza Strip caused the loss of so many people, houses, and facilities. 2,139 were martyred: 579 of them were children, 264 of them were women, and 102 were elders. 11,200 people were injured: 25% of them became handicapped. 1,000 children became permanently disabled. 2,088 women, 3,374 children and 410 old people were injured. 1,200 families lost their breadwinners. 90 families were entirely eliminated and 49 massacres were executed.

In addition, 466,000 citizens were displaced, 2,360 houses were completely destroyed, 13,644 houses were partly destroyed, 30,000 workers lost their jobs, and 134 factories were completely demolished. The destruction of Gaza cost a financial loss of 3,500,000,000 USD.

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

• QC focused on the countries suffering from exceptional circumstance such as Palestine, Syria and Yemen
• El Kuwairi, “‘Kiswit Eid’ project aims at making the orphans happy, especially that it’s Eid”.

In 33 different countries, 1,750 orphans enjoyed the Eid and became more hopeful for a better future thanks to Rofaqa initiative, one of QC’s initiatives.

This project is one of so many others which QC works hard to implement so as to bring joy and happiness to the hearts of its sponsored children in Eid Al Adha.

Love & Care

Countries which suffer from exceptional circumstances were focused on such as Palestine, Syria and Yemen. These countries’ orphans need all the love and care one can possibly offer. They suffer every single day that any ray of hope could be very useful to them.

However, QC did not forget about the orphans elsewhere. It’s project was implemented in India, Jordan, Philippine, Bangladesh, Lebanon, Iraq, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Indonesia, the Comoros, Kyrgyzstan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Mauritania, Kenya, Morocco, Chat, Mali, Benin, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Ghana, Togo, Niger, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo, Sudan and Tunisia. 

 ‘Eid Clothing’ campaign covered the orphans’ different needs. It included getting them shoes, and presents (based on their age and gender): shirts and pants for the boys, and dresses and shoes for the girls. More than 550 orphans benefited from the project.

Values of Mercy

Mr. Youssif Bin Ahmed Al Kuwairi, QC’s CEO, said, “We, at QC, made sure to prioritize the orphans, and pay extra attention to them. QC does its best to provide them with the necessary care they need. Plus, we all know that the reward our religion promises to those who sponsor orphans is great.”

He, then, added, “‘Eid Clothing’ initiative is only a means to compensate for their loss. Yes, it is not like parental love and care; however, QC works hard to make the orphans feel like they’re a part of something, a family. We know how important it is to stand by these orphans’ side; which is why supporting them is a priority.”

Through its ‘Rofaqa’ initiative, QC inaugurated ‘Eid Clothing’ campaign for the benefit of its sponsored orphans. The number of sponsored orphans from 31st of December 2013 until today reached 39,057 orphans from 35 different countries the world over. 

Similar Projects

At the same time QC implemented ‘Eid Clothing’ project, it implemented ‘Your Sacrifice, their Eid’ campaign. Through this campaign, QC was able to provide 28,100 sacrifices (of bulls and sheep) in 54 countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe at a cost of 13,560,000) QR.

As for the Hajj season, QC implemented many projects which included ‘Substitute Hajj’, ‘Feeding Pilgrims’ and ‘Grouping Pilgrims’. Thanks to QC, 1,500 pilgrims performed substitute hajj at a cost of 5,700,000 QR. It also grouped 16 pilgrims at a cost of 152,000 QR and provided 25,000 meals for the pilgrims.

Comprehensive Care:

QC sponsors around 80,000 orphans from 35 countries. It offers them comprehensive care which includes education, health, shelter and other basics.

‘Rofaqa’ Initiative is a unique humanitarian initiative which is interested in helping orphans worldwide. It aims at reaching a complementary level of care for children and orphans. It wishes to offer a new vision based on comprehensive care to include social, educational, health and psychological aspects. ‘Rofaqa’ initiative, which was inaugurated in December 2013, was able to sponsor 39,057 orphans so far.

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

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.

The fuel QC provided the Ministry of Health (MOH) with will allow its 13 hospitals to operate perfectly fine. The hospitals have the capacity of 1,588 beds and can now continue to offer their services to the citizens.

QC provided the MOH with 200,000 liters of fuel to avoid a possible humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip’s hospitals. This project was implemented in order to compensate for the dire shortage in electricity which the ministry suffers from. QC provided fuel to operate the generators of the MOH’s facilities. This way the citizens can receive health services without any problems. 

Saving the Day

This project, just like all of QC’s projects, is distinguished and important. The hospitals will not run out of fuel thus cause the health sector to fall apart. Now, instead, the hospitals can receive patients and offer them the needed services. Primary Care centers and the ambulances will benefit from this project. This will enable the medical staff to offer health services in the ICU, the OR, Renal Dialysis unit, the reception, the ER and the nursery.

Dr. Ashraf Abu Mahady, Director General of International Cooperation in the MOH, expressed his gratitude for QC’s quick response to the urgent appeal that the MOH had already made. “Our hospitals,” said Dr. Abu Mahady, “Are severely suffering because of the shortage in fuel. I thank QC for its support and help. 200,000 liters of fuel are definitely going to help the hospitals continue to offer medical services to the citizens.”

Eng. Mohammed Abu Haloub, QC’s Office Director in the Gaza Strip, said, “When the MOH in the Gaza Strip called for help, we, at QC, were so quick in responding because we know how important the health sector is. At a cost of 1,205,000QR, QC implemented this health project. The ministry suffers from continuous power cuts which could greatly affect the kind of services offered to the patients. More than 1,800,000 people depend on these hospitals.”

He then emphasized the fact that QC will always be there for the Palestinians who are under the Israeli siege. “We will provide the MOH with the necessary fuel to enable the hospitals to offer full medical services to the patients,” said he. 

An Urgent Matter

The fact that the electricity is out more than 12 hours per day in the Gaza Strip means the health sector cannot offer any services to the patients. It is simply because hospitals cannot operate without electricity. There will be no working medical devices in the ER, no working nurseries, and no working devices for renal dialysis. This, of course, causes a huge threat to the hospitals if they run out of fuel.

90% of the health services offered in the Strip are by the MOH’s hospitals. They provide medical services to more than 1,800,000 people. Such services include surgeries, and intensive care. Some hospitals are even specialized in offering renal dialysis and nurseries. The MOH also offers primary care services through 56 care centers. They include treatment for chronic diseases, contagious diseases, and preventive healthcare.

It is necessary for the hospitals to use generators (i.e. around 360,000 liters of fuel monthly) to cover for the daily 12-hour power cut at a cost of 530,000 USD or else the health sector will not be able to offer any services to the patients.

Supply of Medicines

It is worth mentioning that QC had already implemented several projects for the benefit of the health sector in Gaza. Some of these projects are related to the supply of medicines as part of an intervention program designed specially to help those who were injured in the last attack on Gaza (summer 2014). In addition, the engineering plan for building the internal medicine hospital as part of Al Shifa’ Medical Complex in Gaza at a cost of 582,000 QR.

Furthermore, QC is working on different projects to equip the hospitals with electromechanical devices, including providing generators, replacing elevators, and rehabilitating the sterilization system and offering mechanical ventilation at a cost of more than 10,000,000 QR. The health sector in the Gaza strip is the most siege-affected. It suffers from shortages in resources and potentials. 

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

• 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.