2015-12-14T11:09:12+01:00
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
Because it always supports the neediest categories and because it always tries to fulfill its duty towards the orphans it sponsors, QC signed a strategic partnership with Hemaya Security Solutions Co. to hire more than 250 orphans of legal age in Sudan. This initiative is considered to be the first of its kind ever to be implemented by a charity organization.
Mr. Rashid Abdurrahman Al-Naimi, Qatar’s Ambassador in Sudan, Mr. Faisal Rashid Al-Fahida, QC’s EDO, and Mr. Falih Hamad Al-Hajri, Chief of Governmental Relations Department at Hemaya, supervised the starting of the interviews.
More than 548 candidates applied for the job. 400 of which were interviewed by Hemaya’s delegate Mr. Falih Ahmed Al-Hajri. The interviews lasted for four consecutive days; then 319 were selected to work for Hemaya. 250 of them were from orphans and 59 of them were from the orphans’ families.
Commendations
Mr. Rashid Abdurrahman Al-Naimi, Qatar’s ambassador in Sudan, praised the cooperation between the Qatari institutions to achieve humanitarian and charitable goals. He said it shows Qatar’s bright side.
Furthermore, Mr. Faisal Rashid Al-Fahida, QC’s EDO, commended the outcome of the partnership between Hemaya Co and QC. Such initiative will result in the enhancement of the conditions of many families.
Mr. Falih Hamad Al-Hajri, Chief of Governmental Relations Department at Hemaya, emphasized on the company’s willingness to expand its partnership and increase the work with QC under the understanding of the responsibilities of the Qatari institutions to make a positive change in people’s lives and to empower them economically.
All of the interviewees expressed their appreciation and gratitude for Qatar and QC for such a good initiative hoping more orphans and poor families would benefit from it.
The EDO said that according to QC’s procedures and regulations, the sponsorship time ends when the orphan becomes of a legal age; 18 and above. However, QC never stops helping them until they are financially independent.
Sponsorship Services
QC offers two kinds of services to the sponsored children. First, it offers individual services such as regularly giving money to the sponsored during the time of sponsorship, and directly supervising the student’s education, health, social behavior and psychology. In addition, it offers in-kind contributions every now and then which help the child such as giving him\her a school bag or Eidya.
Second, it offers a group services which include all the activities QC does for a group of sponsored children at the same time. These services and activities can be cultural, artistic, educational, sport, or entertaining.
Sponsorships differ and depend on the conditions of the orphan. There is the sponsorship of a child living with his family, a child living with a foster family, and a child living in an orphanage. Sponsoring children while living with their families comes first because QC believes in the importance of growing up around one’s family. Family is a healthy environment which supports the child educationally, psychologically, emotionally and socially. Sponsoring children by sending them to foster families comes second. Finally, if the first and second choices are not available, QC sends children to an acknowledged orphanage.
85,000 Orphans
QC is currently sponsoring more than 3,489 orphans in 8 Sudanese states. It provides them with financial and educational support, and offers them cultural and entertaining activities. As part of last year’s campaign “Rofaqa’” (Companions), QC sponsored more than 750 orphans in Sudan. Finally, QC sponsors around 85,000 orphans around the world in more than 40 countries.
QC signed a cooperation agreement with Ajyal Center for Training and Consultancy through which QC’s administration of developmental centers and Ajyal Center would cooperate to offer developmental and social services to the society by organizing activities, events and different programs, and holding training and educational courses.
Mr. Abdul Nasser Al-Zahr Al-Yafi’ee, QC’s Executive Director of Local Development, and Mis. Ghada Ayoush, the Director General of Ajyal Center for Training and Consulting, signed the agreement in Qatar’s office in Duhail.
The signed cooperation agreement stipulates that both parties shall cooperate by sharing their experiences and potentials in the field of developmental and social services so as to provide distinguished community service. They also agreed on mutual coordination to hold several purposeful activities and developmental programs.
Mobilizing Efforts
Mr. Abdul Nasser Az-Zahr Al-Yafi’ee, QC’s Executive Director of Local Development, said that this is part of QC’s efforts to support developmental work; that is related to training and expertise improvement. The goal is to make a quantum leap in that field. He pointed out to the big efforts which must be exerted in order to overcome a lot of obstacles.
Al-Yafi’ee also added that through this agreement with ‘Ajyal’ Center, QC is trying to mobilize all the efforts to achieve the desired goals. The two parties agreed to work together in every possible way to serve all the developmental projects to serve the Qatari society.
Mr. Al-Yafi’ee expressed his gratitude to Ajyal Center for Training and Consultancy for its participation in the development process. He also emphasized QC’s willingness to cooperate and help in developing Qatar to see the Qatari 2030 vision come true.
Capacity Building
Ms. Ghada Ayoush, Director General of Ajyal Center for Training and Consulting, sincerely thanked QC and its staff members. She said that ‘Ajyal’ Center believes in training the Qataris to become leaders and to improve their skills. It also aims at achieving its goal of empowering the Qatari pepole so as to bring the Qatari 2030 vision to become a reality. Finally, as part of the center’s efforts to make real partnerships with local institutions, it welcomed the implementation of such initiative with QC; the international and local pioneering charity, which the center shares so many objectives.
Ayoush added that this agreement would be the beginning of cooperation between QC and ‘Ajyal’; such cooperation will create something creatively new that will keep up with the modern challenges. “We aspire to invest this agreement in mobilizing efforts to increase the knowledge of the members of the society and to increase their cultural understanding. With the help of training experts, we will make several activities and awareness programs through scientific and educational methodology. Our priority is to reinforce the values of the youths. We will do everything we can to achieve this goal. We will actively and seriously work with QC to identify our general goals and plan the way we are going to achieve them.”
Purposeful Agreements
QC had already signed an agreement with Tomooh for Voluntary Work Management in order to present a distinguished social work.
In addition, a number of agreements were signed with famous sport figures and journalists so as to be the ambassadors of good values.
In its headquarter in Doha, QC also signed cooperation, educational sponsorships, and voluntary initiatives agreements with educational centers and youth and voluntary institutions. They all aimed at serving the society and encouraging the Qatari youth to do voluntary work. For example, they inaugurated initiatives such as Salati (my prayer), Al-Majales Madares (sessions are like schools), and Suhba (companionship). QC also signed an agreement with ‘Layan’ campaign to relieve the Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and another agreement with ‘Rowad’ center. These agreements include the implementation of projects and developmental and educational programs inside Qatar and voluntary and relief campaigns outside Qatar.
QC has recently opened 13 healthcare centers in different places in Bangladesh from which 500,000 people benefited at a cost of 1,000,000 QR.
QC made sure that the targeted beneficiaries are the neediest. Therefore, QC implemented the projects in the poorest districts which are Pabna, Kishoreganj , Gazipur, Naogaon, Madaripur, Barguna, Gaibandha, and Barisal.
Comprehensive Services
As part of the project, QC supplied these centers and the outpatient clinic with drugs and medical items. It also covered routine medical examinations. QC runs these projects either directly, or through its cooperation with local committees in order to sufficiently offer the basic services of medical care.
For this occasion, Mr. Mohammed Amine Hafith, QC’s Office Director in Bangladesh, said that QC implemented these projects out of its endless efforts to support the health sector in Bangladesh for its importance in the developmental process. QC tries to offer comprehensive services to the needy people of Bangladesh who live in rural areas where poverty and literacy are found. Thus, QC’s projects targeted these areas.
“These projects,” as he said, “will save the lives of so many people living there; especially chronic patients, women and children. They are the first victims of the lack of medical services. They are who need to cross long distances in order to be treated.” He then concluded his speech with, “QC will continue to exert efforts, it will continue to help and implement charitable and humanitarian projects. This is QC’s message and responsibility towards the poor, the needy, and the unfortunate.”
A Hospital & a Medical Center
Under its belief of the importance of the health sector, QC has recently implemented a medical project related to the Qatari Hospital and Medical center at a cost of 560,000 QR. It offers medical services to 100,000 people. It covers all kinds of treatments including outpatient and inpatient clinics, medical tests, radiology, and drugs. QC also offers training for the nurses, laboratory and radiology technicians, and pharmacist assistants. Doctors and specialists usually refuse to go to these distant places, which is why this training is very important. It helps prepare a qualified medical staff which can offer the patients the needed services. The inhabitants of these areas turn to warlocks who tend to deceive the families and trick them. They make use of the patients’ willingness to cling to any thread of hope, and make them believe that magic can heal them. With QC’s help, however, the trained staff will offer all the services these patients need at a low cost. This way, they will protect the people from imposters, risks, and health complications.
Ongoing Development
Bangladesh is universally ranked as one of the most overpopulated areas. It has a population of 170,000,000 people; 1,100 persons per km. The universally acknowledged rate is around 44 persons per km. Furthermore, it lacks the resources and depends mainly on the agriculture sector. It is, thus, one of the poorest and neediest countries. Its orphans, widows and unprivileged – especially those living in distant areas – need basic services; this is what QC tries to cover.
QC believes in its role in helping any person or place in need. It makes sure to implement qualitative and useful projects, to increase the number of beneficiaries, to fulfill its role in the social developmental process, and to positively affect people’s lives. As a result and after considering Bangladesh’s conditions, QC is doing its best to fulfill its part in the ongoing developmental process. It is doing so through helping increase production, raise the standards of living, and enhance the income of the neediest
You can donate to support such projects through the link: Click here
Arsel Al-Amal (Send Hope) Initiative Continues to Provide School Meals to the Deprived Students in the Middle East
Pizza Hut in Qatar inaugurated “Send Hope” initiative supported by QC to provide school meals to the deprived students in the Middle East by supporting school nutrition projects of the UN’s World Food Programme.
This initiative allows Pizza Hut’s costumers, in all of its branches, in Qatar to donate to ‘School Meals’ project the amount they want. The donation is added to the costumers’ bills. With each Qatari Riyal given, a child will receive a meal at school. These children will have a better future to aspire for.
Last May, QC and WFP signed an agreement in WFP’s headquarter in Rome, Italy, to fight hunger and malnutrition, and to bolster food security worldwide. This strategic cooperation will strengthen the private sector’s role in the battle against these life-threatening challenges which threaten the lives of millions of people whether in the times of peace or conflict. These challenges also hinder the developmental efforts exerted in many countries.
Abdullah Al-Wardat, WFP’s representative and the Gulf’s Office Director, said, “We sincerely thank Pizza Hut for this great initiative which supports the Programme’s efforts to fight hunger and malnutrition by providing students with school meals in the Middle East. Our strategic cooperation with QC offers a chance to the Qatari private sector’s companies, which understand that fighting hunger and malnutrition is the primary element for their success and for the community’s stability. The companies also understand their moral duty towards the children and the country.”
In a press release, Sterling Cos’ representative, Pizza Hut franchiser in Qatar, said, “It’s our pleasure to cooperate with QC to implement “Send Hope” initiative. We hope it would help support WFP’s efforts to give meals to more than 2,600,000 needy students in the Middle East. I hope this would bring hope to their hearts; I hope it makes their lives better. Education is essential to build a bright future, especially to those with a limited income.”
Mr. Jassim Al-Mansouri, QC’s Marketing Manager, expressed his gratitude to Pizza Hut for this initiative, and expressed his happiness with this cooperation to serve the school children. He also showed his great trust in the companies of the private sector in Qatar and how sure he is that more companies will be involved in supporting such initiative. The private sector is known to be very generous and to have a sense of responsibility towards the needy communities around the world. Its efforts will stand as the practical application of the agreement which QC had signed with WFP. “Send Hope” is expected to be well received for its noble goals.
This cooperation between QC and WFP represents an opportunity for the private sector in Qatar to be more involved in supporting the fight against hunger by supporting QC’s and WFP’s campaigns for collecting financial and in-kind contributions according to the procedures of Human Appeal International. Companies are aware of the fact that by fighting hunger, ending malnutrition and bolstering food security, they can achieve success. They are also aware of the moral duty behind such battle.
For the benefit of hundreds of its sponsored orphans, Qatar Charity held two educational camps in Burkina Faso and the Comoros Islands.
Bobo-Dioulasso Camp
Qatar Charity's ten day long camp in Bobo-Dioulasso was the first in Burkina Faso in 2015. It was organized under the slogan “Akhlaqi Ser Najahi” (My Morals are the Reason of My Success) for the benefit of 250 orphans.
Promoting Values
As part of Qatar Charity's activities to spread the spirit of communication and brotherhood among the orphans, this camp was held to educate the orphans according to modern and moderate Islamic teachings. It was also held to train them live a complementary Islamic life by promoting values, altruism, cooperation and forgiveness.
Saved from Getting Lost
The sponsored orphans and the supervising teachers commended Qatar Charity's role in Burkina Faso. They expressed their appreciation for Qatar Charity's help in wiping the tears of so many poor children after the death of their fathers. Qatar Charity has saved so many lives from getting lost, being hungry and going astray. It has helped them to lead a dignified life and helped in educating them. The beneficiaries also thanked Qatar Charity and its philanthropists.
Mr. Mohammed Al-Nawaiti, Qatar Charity’s Office Director in Burkina Faso, emphasized the relief this project made him feel and how it was part of Qatar Charity's projects and programs that are dedicated to the orphans of Burkina Faso and their education.
The Camp’s Events
Qatar Charity's Social Care Department was responsible for organizing this camp, which included different events such as lectures, lessons from the Holy Qur'an, activities, cultural contests, sports, and entertaining games. The camp revolved around everything fun and beneficial.
Ngazidja (Grande Comore) Island
Qatar Charity also held a camp for the first time in Ngazidja through its office in the Comoros Islands for the orphans living there. The five day long camp had 200 orphans (10 – 12 years) benefiting; 175 of which were males, 25 were females.
It also included different activities starting with medical examinations for all of the participants, tutorials in the basic subjects (according to the levels of the orphans), memorization of some of the chapters of the Holy Qur'an, cultural activities, sports activities and different contests.
A Day of Entertainment
Because Qatar Charity pays extra attention to the orphans, it also recently organized an entertaining and educational day for the benefit of 250 sponsored orphans before school started in Burkina Faso. Qatar Charity distributed school bags and kids clothes.
Other Projects
Qatar Charity has lately implemented 300 income-generating projects from which the poor and unemployed have benefited in Burkina Faso. The projects ranged from agriculture and animal husbandry to traditional handicrafts.
Qatar Charity’s projects goals reinforce the implementation of small and medium-sized enterprises. They offer the target beneficiaries sustained job opportunities, which are expected to help provide a dignified life for the beneficiaries. These projects included passing the ownership of 100 dairy cattle calves, 150 sewing machines, 40 ploughs with carriages and 7 grain mills to at-risk families in Burkina Faso at a cost of 560,000 QR. More than 2,000 people have benefited from such projects in the neediest cities, villages and slums in Burkina Faso
Under the existing dire economic conditions, Qatar Charity's projects target youth and women’s associations, female breadwinners, widows and female divorcee breadwinners
You can donate to support such projects through the link: Click here
Qatar Charity and Orbis UK have launched a campaign to raise more than QR 4 million to reduce blindness in children in Bangladesh.
The campaign was launched after Her Royal Highness Princess sophie Rhys-Jones, the Countess of Wessex paid a visit to Qatar Charity headquarters in Doha.
Under this partnership, Qatar Charity will mobilize support for the campaign, while Orbis UK will implement it, by virtue of its more than 15 years of preventing blindness experience in Bangladesh.
Director of the Middle East Partnerships at Orbis UK Florence Brancheau said, "We are pleased for our partnership with Qatar Charity in this campaign to collect urgent donations that can help to transform the lives of children living in Bangladesh." She expressed hope that the Qatari people would back this campaign to save sight of the children in Bangladesh.
For his part, Qatar Charity CEO, Yusuf bin Ahmed Al-Kuwari expressed Qatar Charity's pride to implement this campaign with Orbis UK, saying this comes in line with Qatar Charity 's desire to enhance meaningful cooperation and strategic partnerships with international humanitarian institutions to implement high quality specialist programs across the world .
Al-Kuwari expressed his hope that this campaign would open the door wider for cooperation between the two parties.