FROM LEFT: Abdul Naser bin Ibrahim Fakhro, Deputy Chairman, Ambassadors of Mercy, Dr Mohammad Salah Ibrahim, Deputy General Manager, RAF and Ahmad Yusuf Al Fakhro, Chairman of the festival organising committee, during a press conference to announce the wi
DOHA: Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah Foundation for Humanitarian Services (RAF) has launched a special campaign to provide humanitarian aid to 120,000 people affected by wars in Syria and Iraq during the upcoming winter season.
The campaign aims to collect QR19m in donations from people in Qatar to buy food, clothing, medicines and shelters for the Iraqi and Syrian internally displaced and those refugees sheltering in neighbouring countries.
RAF launched the campaign “Shita Al Rahma” (mercy of winter) this time to prepare for dispatching aid to people fighting for survival in Syria and Iraq in winter, said Dr Mohamad Salah Ibrahim, Deputy General Manager of RAF, at a press conference here yesterday.
“We started communicating with companies and individuals in the country seeking donations for the project to meet the requirements and early preparation to tackle the crises on time”, said Ibrahim.
“The campaign meant to provide food, clothing, medicine and shelters to 120,000 internally displaced people in Iraq, Syria and the refugees of these countries in Lebanon and Jordan, said Ahmad Yusuf Al Fakhro, Head of Financial Resources and Media Department at RAF.
The campaign aims to collect QR19m to provide humanitarian aid to a total of 120,000 hapless people; 40,000 from Iraq and 80,000 from Syria. The campaign will continue till March, 2017. The team responsible for collecting donations has begun communicating with individuals and companies urging them to make their contributions for the campaign, said Fakhro.
As per the plan of RAF, QR3.7m will be spent to supply humanitarian aid to 34,000 displaced people in Syria. They will be given fuel for different types of heaters and 5,000 food baskets for the winter. They will be also be given clothes and blankets.
More than QR4m will be spent in providing aid to 31,000 Syrian refugees sheltering across Lebanon. They will be given insulations for tents, and 5,000 food baskets. Some 3,000 will be vaccinated and receive winter clothes, blankets and fuel for heating.
The campaign will provide aid to 14,000 refugees in Jordan especially those living at random camps located in hard-to-access areas. RAF has earmarked over QR3.1m to buy 4,000 food baskets, 5,000 coupons for heater fuels, 2,500 heaters and 2,500 blankets for the beneficiaries in Jordan.
RAF has allocated QR7.7m to meet the requirements of basic needs to 40,000 internally displaced people in Iraq. They will be provided 10,000 food baskets, 6,000 heaters, 10,000 blankets, 1,000 ready-tents and 1,000 tent insulations. Five thousand people will receive fuel for heaters.
Refugees and displaced people with large number of women and children have a tough time during winter as the mercury falls below zero degree Celsius in some areas, said Fakhro. RAF’s officials urged citizens and expatriates to make their contributions to meet the growing need for aid.
