Qatar Charity concludes the activities of “Social Media” Forum

• 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. 

Al Kuwari:

QC's interest in advanced technologies and in their employment in serving charity work reflects its development to exceed the use of conventional media and means of communication.

Al Abdullah:

 Since QC is pioneer in humanitarian and charity work, it has to always look for the most creative, comprehensive solutions that would reinforce and spread the culture of charity work.

Al Ali:

 Considering the great role of the advanced means of communication and social media, QC signed multiple cooperation agreements with social media activists and some of Qatar's best stars to support charity work.

Because it always implements creative initiatives to support and spread the culture of charity work, QC launches its own social network in cooperation and partnership with the different groups of the Qatari society and social media activists.

Yousef bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, QC's CEO, said that the idea of creating a social network for QC came from QC's continuous efforts to follow up with the revolution of informatics and technology. "QC always ensures to employ advanced technologies in charity work. It is a proof of its development and advancement. QC goes beyond conventional means of communication and employs the most advanced ones. We, at QC, aim at reinforcing community solidarity, at highlighting the efforts of the different groups of the society, men and women, and their joint work in humanitarian and charity work," commented Mr. Al Kuwari.

Mr. Ali Abdullah added, "Since QC is pioneer in humanitarian and charity work, it has to always look for the most creative, comprehensive solutions that would reinforce and spread the culture of charity work. QC always seeks to highlight the importance of employing social networks in charity work effectively. It also believes in the importance of raising awareness about related issues and to involve the different groups of the society in charity work."

For his part; Mr. Ahmed Al Ali, QC's Director of Information Department and network coordinator, said, "Considering the great role of the advanced means of communication and social media, QC signed multiple cooperation agreements with social media activists and some of Qatar's best stars so that they would work together to serve the community. They will be promoting the projects, development programs and others through online social media such as Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, WhattsApp, YouTube, and Instagram. We aspire that this would help serve charity work".

Mr. Saleh Al Ali highlighted the fact that QC's network for social communication includes already established media networks including TOP-BB network, Ka'bat Al Madyoum (Home of Needy), Fahad Buzwair network,  Butirki Qatar Network for Mr. Abdullah As-Shamri, Wlaif Qatar network, Where 2 Eat Qatar for Mr. Abdul Rahman Al Mahrmuzi, Do alive 7, A'ras Qatar (Qatar's weddings), and others.

It also includes some figures such as Dr. Haya Al M'dadi (Director of Fursan Center); Dr. Ayesh Al Qahtani; some journalists such as Shaqr as-Shahwan, Asmaa Al Hamadi, Adel Abdullah, Eman Al Ka'bi, Jawaher Al Mane', Khaleel Al Baloushi, Sa'd Al Ka'bi (a writer at Sharq Newspaper) and Ahmed Abdullah; and Ahmed Abdul Fattah, a director.

Al Ali said that the agreements which QC had signed with the network members stated that the projects, programs and activities which will be included in the joint cooperation will be identified by QC. The members, on the other hand, will be responsible for attracting the attention of the different groups of the society. They will be interacting with the audience to bring in support and to encourage donors to donate for these projects. In addition, they will follow up with the implementation and report to their followers their experiences and what they see in the field. They will also shed light on certain issues, and help find solutions through starting initiatives or programs adopted by QC.

A Positive Interaction

 The members of QC’s Social Network and QC’s Ambassadors expressed their happiness to be part of this voluntary experience, confirming that they would contribute as activists with large numbers of followers to reinforce the field of social creativity.

Mr. Faisal Al-Heidous, QC’s new Ambassador and owner of TOP-BB Company, said that he was happy to cooperate with QC and serve charity work, reminding the society of its importance (charity work) specially on social media. He emphasized that he would represent QC on social media and he would make utmost effort to support its charity projects.

Dr. Haya said that she was certain that the Qatari society would interact with QC’s social network which would result in funding many charitable projects. She also thanked QC for trusting her and expressed that it was an honor for her as a Qatari citizen to support QC’s projects that carried the name of her country.

Journalist Asma’a Al-Hammadi also thanked QC for their trust, and hoped to earn it. She said that she would do her best to achieve the goals of supporting charity work and leading her followers to Allah’s reward.

Mr. Shaqr commended the idea of QC’s Social Network, and confirmed that he undertook the mission of contributing to charity work; which was made easy by this generous opportunity that QC offered.

Dr. Al Qahtani said that if we examined the situation of Syrian refugees and saw the conditions of orphans, widows, and wounded people, we would try the best we could to help them. He said that it would be of much help to these categories to convey their cases to the Qatari philanthropists so that they would donate for them.

Mr.  Khalil Al-Balushi encouraged the Qatari youth to be more involved in charity work and to try to help those who lived in difficult conditions such as the Syrians. Ms. Jawaher said that she hoped that the agreement would achieve all the expected results.

Mr. Abdullah promised to utilize all the available potentials and relations to serve the needy people, and Ms, Eman expressed her gratitude to QC for giving her the chance to help others and make their lives better.

Mr, Al Ka’bi said that he would support QC’s projects in his writings. He also stressed that he would encourage his followers on different social networks to serve the charity work led by QC.

• "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.

QC held a training workshop on handicrafts for female orphans and their mothers in Ache, Indonesia, as part of its annual plan for development. The workshop was attended by 80 orphans along with their mothers.

The workshop included teaching the girls the basics of handicrafts and how to make use of them to make products at the least possible costs. The workshop lasted for 8 training hours.

Improving Their Skills

The girls and their mothers expressed their deep happiness and gratitude for such workshop since it could help them overcome the difficult circumstances they suffer from. Through such project, the girls and their families could implement small projects that would help them with their lives.

Mr. Mohammed Ith'har Shah, the Program's Coordinator, said, "Such training is very beneficial to the orphans. It is a good opportunity created by QC to help the girls for their future. Through developing their skills, the girls could embrace such business and implement their own economic and productive small projects thus increase the income of their families".

Commendations

Mr. Yunihadri Kremi, Director of Social Care Department at QC in Jakarta, said that QC's plan for developing the orphans' skill was comprehensive. "QC's plan covers sports, education, entertainment, development and journeys. It also gives these orphans the chance to celebrate with Qatar's people Qatar National Day and Qatar Sports Day".

Ms. Ruhmi Swaraya, Team Trainer, said, "The orphans showed great interest and interaction during the training. I tried to make it fun so that they do not get bored. We discussed the basics and had a wonderful time together. We all felt the warmth and happiness of one whole family".  

Riska Rihana, one of the orphans, expressed how grateful she was for QC for taking care of them and helping them, especially that these days people forget about orphans.

Ms. Rita Juliati said that when she received the invitation to join the program, she felt that it would be a new thing for her. "Several institutions hold different activities for orphans. However, QC always holds programs and activities that are truly needed," she commented.

Ninda Arsina, one of the orphans, said, "This training is very useful to me and my colleagues. We were able to be creative and learn more about handicrafts. We hope with this training we can make things and sell them so we could have our own source of income.

Halima Al Sa'deya, a mother, said that such training helped them create new job opportunities so that they would have a source of income. "This kind of work depends on actual work not capital; with small things, we can make great things," she added.

Social Care

It is worth mentioning that QC started working in Indonesia in 2004 in Aceh. It sponsored the orphans and established Al Rayyan Village where it sheltered the displaced. It included 100 houses and a medical center.

Since 2006 until today, QC has sponsored more than 2,000 people. In 2016, the number of orphans, students, handicapped, teachers and poor families QC sponsors reached 2,750. The total sum of money spent on the sponsorships and social care in 2015 only reached 1,750,000$ (one million, seven hundred thousand dollars).

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

Al Kuwairi:

In partnership with Qatari organizations, QC organizes and supervises a session on education and its role in post-crisis regions
QC already organized an introductory meeting about World Humanitarian Summit in cooperation with OCHA.

QC will participate in the World Humanitarian Summit events which will be held in Istanbul on May 23 – 24. Headed by Mr. Youssef bin Ahmed Al Kuwairi, QC's CEO, the delegation will attend and participate in the Summit.

The Summit's events include meetings for the leaders and round-table discussions. In addition, the Summit has exhibitions that focus on the humanitarian field. Istanbul's Summit is considered a historical event since it is the first time for something this huge to happen about humanitarian affairs.

Effective Participation

Mr. Youssef bin Ahmed Al Kwairi stressed on the fact that QC's participation in the Summit's events is considered very effective. QC will attend the main sessions, where presidents, leaders and delegations' chiefs will meet and talk.

"QC will organize and supervise a session on education and its role in post-crisis regions in partnership with Qatari organizations such as Qatar Development Fund, Education Above All, Silatech, Reach Out to Asia, ISESCO, Arab League for Society and Science, the Humanitarian Forum and Islamic Development Bank, QC's strategic partner.

Qatari Institutions

Mr. Al Kuwairi pointed to the fact that the Qatari charitable institutions play a key role internationally in the field of humanitarian response and encouraging partnerships. "The Qatari institutions now play a vital and essential role in the response policies through their intense activities with national and regional institutions.

Cooperative Meeting

In cooperation with UNOCHA, QC organized a meeting in the beginning of May in Doha to introduce the World Humanitarian Summit and was attended by 15 Qatari governmental and humanitarian organizations.

During the meeting, the participants discussed the importance of coordination between Qatari humanitarian institutions to exchange information regarding the coming Summit and the nature of participation of each participant. They also discussed the need for cooperative coordination and mutual support. The organizations agreed to coordinate with competent authorities in Qatar such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs so as to best serve Qatar at humanitarian work level.

Preparatory Workshops

For the past few years, QC has sponsored and financed a series of national and regional consultation workshops about the World Humanitarian Summit. It organized 7 workshops: One in Qatar, two in Palestine (West Bank and Gaza Strip), one in the Balkans (in Macedonia), fone or the Syrians in Gaziantep (Turkey), Morocco and Turkey. The workshops were held in cooperation with UNOCHA and the Humanitarian Forum\ Britain. QC has also participated in the preparation of the Summit through attending all the national and reg