Front view of QRCS headquarters in Doha.
Doha, Qatar: Long before the start of the holy month of Ramadan 1445 AH, the personnel of Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) inside and outside Qatar began the preparation and execution of Ramadan Campaign 1445 AH #DutyToHelp.
The funds raised from the benevolent people of Qatar will be used to implement numerous humanitarian and development projects for the benefit of 1.6 million people around the world during and after the holy month of Ramadan.
In Qatar, QRCS’s Volunteering and Local Development Division is undertaking diverse development, social, and volunteering programs/projects for the benefit of the most vulnerable groups, as follows: Volunteering Section: Every year, the Volunteering Section is coordinating with other QRCS departments to engage volunteers in the Ramadan Iftar project in Qatar, by distributing fresh Iftar meals and Ramadan provisions parcels to poor families and expatriate workers; Community Development Section: Under its multiple initiatives, the Community Development Section is coordinating with the competent authorities to make charitable visits to certain groups during Ramadan.
Community Care Section is implementing the Ramadan Iftar project in Qatar, by distributing food coupons to approximately 47,000 beneficiaries from families registered with social assistance services, to help them purchase the food and other items they need during the fasting month, based on certain criteria such as social case studies, number of family members, etc. Special focus is given to low-income families, divorced women, widows, older people, persons with special needs, and families of penitentiary inmates.
The section also continues to implement its regular programs of distributing cash and monthly assistance to poor families, to help them pay for the costs of living. On the 15th of Ramadan, QRCS will hold the Garangao celebration, with food coupons and gifts distributed, to bring joy and happiness to the hearts of poor families and their children.
At the same time, QRCS will be implementing international activities during the holy month, through its foreign representation offices/missions, and in coordination with fellow National Societies in the host countries. The key project is Ramadan Iftar, which involves distributing diverse food parcels containing local staples to more than 234,000 poor beneficiaries in 18 countries, to help them secure Iftar and Suhoor meals throughout Ramadan.
The target countries include: Palestine (Gaza and the West Bank), Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan, Sudan, Bangladesh, Niger, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Albania, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Mongolia, Mauritania, and Djibouti.
There will be other Ramadan charitable initiatives in poor countries, such as Zakat-ul-Fitr, Eid Clothing, and food security projects supporting bakeries with flour to produce and distribute bread on a daily basis to fasting people and poor families. QRCS is keen to deliver such aid to the beneficiaries prior to the holy month of Ramadan, to make them feel the spirit of Ramadan and bring happiness to their hearts at the Iftar time.
In addition to the Ramadan-specific projects, QRCS’s fundraising campaign will help implement a whole plan of humanitarian projects/programmes until the year-end. It comprises 145 food, shelter, water and sanitation, livelihood, education, psychological support, health, and medical convoys projects.
