Yusuf bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, CEO of Qatar Charity, and Talal Al Kuwari, Executive Director of Zhaab initiative, at a press conference, yesterday. Pic: Baher Amin / The Peninsula
Extending a helping hand to the people within the country, the Qatar Charity launched a new initiative — Zhaab, a community and family aid. The new move, aimed at both the citizens and the expatriates inside the country, will focus on providing sustainable methods to maintain a regular and sufficient income for a dignified life.
The initiative aims at providing permanent incomes to the poor in the community by implementing income generation projects in a bid to address the root-cause of poverty. Temporary and one-time financial aids will be also provided to the needy. Zhaab initiative is established under the slogan ‘A Duty, not a Favor’ to provide support to the communities and families in need inside Qatar.
To serve the initiative’s target groups, ‘Zokhor,’ a campaign to receive donations has been launched. Zokhor, which means generosity on the part of the donor, is a monthly donation plan established through Qatari banks to facilitate the donation process and make it more convenient to the donors.
The details about the initiative launched under the patronage of H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani were given by Yusuf bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, CEO of Qatar Charity, and Talal Al Kuwari, Executive Director of Zhaab initiative, at a press conference yesterday.
“The initiative, though launched now officially, has been running since the beginning of the year,” said Al Kuwari. “So far, some 150 people including some emergency cases have benefitted from the project. In most of the cases, the applicants received the aid within a week. In some cases, we have to investigate longer and for this purpose we has a team to study the case as per certain criteria,” he said.
Zhaab which is a colloquial Qatari word that refers to a personal object of great value, be it moral or material, in this context - the Qatari society.
In an effort to ensure the success of this initiative, a carefully set criteria has been put in place to evaluate the applications requesting support, as well as provide the necessary and appropriate assistance to those families and individuals.
People can make requests online for the aid, with their privacy ensured. To reach out to the maximum of the target group, different platforms will be utilised. This includes social networking sites, community sources, Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs among others.
The initiative will be operated from a separate facility building No. 20, Street No. 562, Zone 67, Hazm-Al-Markhiya, Doha.
“Although a number of humanitarian initiatives and charity programmes in Qatar are already providing aid and support to many segments of society here and abroad, there has always been an urgent need for a national initiative which caters to providing aid and assistance to members of the local communities in particular,” Al Kuwari said.
