• 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.

In Mauritania, QC established and equipped a school for women from which hundreds of female students benefited.

The school was established in Trarza Region, in bi’r al Kheir Village near Boutilimit to the south of Mauritania. The school has 6 classrooms, administrative buildings where there are 5 equipped offices, and health facilities. The school’s staff consists of a principal, an assistant, 8 regular teachers, and 2 assisting teachers. 100 female students from different levels study there.

Caring for Education

Mr. Idris As-Sahil, QC’s Office Director in Mauritania, said, “QC implemented this project because it prioritizes the educational sector in all distant regions where educational institutions are not found. Schools for women need so much support, especially that this school teaches the Holy Quran, Quranic and Sharia sciences and linguistics”.

He also said that those in charge of the school aspired to adding other subjects such as mathematics, computer science and languages. “This way, students will be able to study religious and secular sciences which help learners find good jobs. The total cost of establishing the school reached 400,000 QR. We are proud to see hundreds of girls benefiting from the project,” said he.  

Need for Support

Ms. Om Kolthom bint Abah, School’s Principal, said that the school had 100 regular students, some of which had memorized the Holy Quran. “The school teaches the sciences of Tajwid, Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence, Fiqh, Language and others. The school’s board seeks to organize training courses in Computer Science, hire mathematics and English language teachers so as to offer comprehensive education,” she commented. The village’s schools do not offer formal education except for a primary school that has two classrooms only. 

“Here at school, we organize cultural contests and lectures from which most of the villagers benefit. However, the school still needs more improvement, especially the teacher’s salaries, equipment and books. We appreciate QC and the Qatari philanthropists for the valuable aids they offer to the needy people around the world. We thank them for helping us,” she concluded.

Commendations

The school’s students and teachers commended the performance of the school and thanked QC and the Qatari philanthropists for their efforts to spread science and help the needy around the world.

Somaya bint Mohammed, a student who memorized around half of the Quran, said, “I am very happy at school. I learned a lot about the sciences of Tajwid and Quran. The school offers us comfortable classes and facilities that helped us attend school regularly. The teachers follow distinguished methodologies that help students understand and memorize.

In addition, Fatima bin Mohammed Mawlood, Teacher of Quran Memorization and Tajwid at school, said that they teach several levels and classes. “Some girls memorize one, two or more pages every day; some memorize less because of their age. They learn Quranic sciences, too.

On a two-day visit, a delegation from QC handed the keys of more than 100 houses to the Mauritanian families benefiting from ‘Social Housing’ Project. The delegation included His Excellency Sheikh Hamad bin Nasser bin Jassim Al thani and Mr. Yousef bin Ahmed al Kuwairi, QC’s CEO.

The keys were handed to the beneficiaries in Nouakchott and Rakiz, 200 km from the Capital. The delegation was accompanied by the Ambassador of Qatar in Mauritania Mr. Abdul Rahman bin Ali Al Kibisi and Mr. Idris As-Sahil, QC’s Office Director in Mauritania. A lot of figures and benefiting families received the delegation when they arrived. 

In 2015, QC spent 25,000,000 QR on the projects it implemented in Mauritania. More than 153,000 people from different regions benefited from the projects, groups with low income in particular.

The projects covered different fields such as health, education, income-generating projects, sanitation, relief, water, sponsorship (of orphans, disabled persons, preachers and imams) and others.

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