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

• Al Kuwari: The Aids have included all the basic and necessary elements of shelter, food, drugs, and education.
• Out of the shelter projects, 760,776 hardest-hit people have benefited, out of food, 2,991,000 million population has benefited, out of health, 1,936,386 million people have benefited, and out of education, 394,905 people have benefited.
• Out of the biggest shelter projects, Al Rayyan City and Al Doha Charitable City at the Turkish-Syrian borders, each of which includes 1000 housing units.

6,083,517 million hardest-hit people out of Syrian displaced and refugees have benefited from Qatar Charitable Relief Projects, where its total costs amounted to 322 million rials during the period from April 2011 through the last September of (2015).

As a result of the critical circumstances the population lives there, 67 % out of these aids has been addressed to the internal Syrian community in a cost that amounted to about 213,063,000 million rials, while the rest percentage has been addressed to the refugees in the neighboring countries, especially Lebanon in a percentage of 18% which amounts to 58,272,000 million rials, Jordan in a percentage of 8% which means an amount about 26,889,000 million rials, Turkey in a percentage of 5,5% which amounts to about 19,000,000 million rials, and the percentage of 1,5% which amounts to 4,500,000 million rials has been distributed between Iraq and other countries that have Syrian refugees living in.

Since the start of the crisis, the Qatar Charitable projects implemented for the interest of the Syrian people have included the following programs: shelter in an amount of 120,214,000 million rials, food in an amount of 102,561,000 million rials, health which amounted to a total cost off 68,214,000 million rials, and education in an amount of 30,755,000 million rials.

The size of Qatar Charitable projects for the interest of the Syrian people has made it possible that Qatar Charitable get the first record worldwide at the level of Non-Governmental Humanitarian Organizations in relieving the Syrian people, according to the Financial Tracking System (FTS) of the International Relief Aids related to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs “ OCHA” 2014.

Alleviation and Consolation

Mr. Yusuf Ben Ahmad Al Kuwari, the Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Charitable said that these projects are implemented in the context of Qatar Charitable continuous endeavor to alleviate the Syrian brothers’suffering, and to help them overcome the suffering caused by the ongoing crisis in Syria since more than four years, adding that these aids have included all the basic and necessary elements from shelter, food, drugs, and education.

Mr. Kuwari, has indicated that Qatar Charitable has targeted all hardest-hit Syrian people, yet, the displaced group living inside Syria is one of the first targets and most important, therefore, Qatar Charitable is focusing on helping it, and is doing its utmost effort to approach it, where Mr. Al Kuwari has made it sure that the crisis is going on, the tragedy becomes aggravated, and Winter is about to come with the suffering getting more cruel.

Al Kuwari has also added that Qatar Charitable would leave no stone unturned to approach the Syrian brothers, and console them in every financial and spiritual way possible, in order to alleviate their suffering and closely communicate with them, paying attention to the fact that supporting the Syrian people is continuous until it overcomes its suffering, making it clear that whoever sees the reality of the Syrian brothers, displaced and refugees, would never postpone and wait before giving them a hand of help.

Food

Qatar Charitable has focused on food as the basic life substrate, where the food materials caravans have been sent to inside Syria, in addition to distributing the basic catering materials’ parcels, distributing flour, operating a number of stoves and kitchens, and funding projects for implanting potatoes and wheat, therein, the total costs of food projects amount to 102,561,000 million rials, out of which, 2,991,000 hardest-hit people have benefited from the Syrian crisis, most of which are displaced inside Syria, in addition to some refugees at the Turkish borders.

Out of these food projects, is the “Mobile Stove” inside Syria for which its construction and operation costs have exceeded 3,000,000 million rials during 6 months, and it produces 60,000 thousands loaves daily.

Shelter

Qatar Charitable has been able within the shelter program, to establish villages and housing cities made beforehand, with their premises for the interest of displaced, in addition to establishing the housing units, and distributing clothes, blankets, fire-places and fire fuel.

The number of housing units established until now, or about to be completed has amounted to 2500 units, out of the biggest projects in this program are Al Rayyan City and the Charitable Doha City at the Turkish-Syrian borders, each of which includes 1000 housing units, these are exceptional with being friend to the environment, and they have all needed supplies of mosques, school classes, sewage system, health points and playgrounds for the children, where the shelter projects costs amounted to 120,214,000 million rials for the interest of 760,776 million people.

Health

At the health projects program, Qatar Charitable have concentrated mainly on establishing and operating hospitals, injured and patients treatment fund, in addition to providing the medical supplies, and ambulance cars, where Al Amal Hospital has been established and operated for the Syrian refugees in the South of Turkey, the Medical Fund for the Syrian Refugees in Lebanon, Artificial Limbs, the Qatari Treatment Fund for the Syrian Injured in Jordan, as well as establishing a Children Psychiatric Center , and funding its activities.

The total costs of health projects implemented by Qatar Charitable for the Syrian people have amounted to 68,214,000 million rials, out of which 1,936,386 million people have benefited from, among refugees and displaced.

Education

The aids provided by Qatar Charitable to the Syrian people in education program have included education, as the refugee and displaced need for it acts as their need to food, health, and shelter while education acts as a protection for the coming generations from ignorance and loss, it also provides them with an opportunity to change their reality and their families’ reality to the best.

In this context, schools have been established, refurbished , and operated, educational curricula have been printed out, where more than 1,704,000 million books have been printed at a cost that amounted to 8,4 million rials, classes have also been opened for eradication of Illiteracy , and Quran education seminars, and other useful  and purposeful projects, where the education projects costs amounted to 30,755,000 million rials, out of which 394,905 million people have benefited among refugees and displaced.

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