By Fazeena Saleem

DOHA: Qatar Charity (QC) has launched a campaign to collect donations to provide cold-weather aid to Syrian refugees and those displaced within Syria due to the ongoing crisis in the country.

QC hopes to collect QR54m ($14.83m) in its donation mobilisation drive it has titled ‘Syria: Endless Winter’ with which some 735000 people including women children and the elderly will be provided succor.

The cold weather has already arrived in the region making things harder for the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees and internally displaced people in Syria said QC.

“We are urging people to donate for our ‘Syria: Endless Winter’ drive to help those in need” said senior QC officials addressing a news conference here yesterday. The briefing was held during the launch of the campaign at QC headquarters.

As part of cold-weather aid disbursal QC will provide winter supplies needed for internally displaced people in Syria and the Syrian refugees in the neighboring countries.

“The campaign will run throughout the winter season. More than 60 percent of the fund collected as part of the campaign will benefit internally displaced people in Syria while we will also support Syrian refugees in Jordan Turkey and Lebanon” Rashid bin Fatis Al Marri Director Operations at Qatar Charity told this newspaper.

“We cannot forget the Syrian children who died due to cold weather conditions during the last winter. This winter is going to be harsher and colder according to forecasts. Therefore we request philanthropists to donate in this campaign so the Syrians in need would receive winter supplies” he added.

A beneficiary family comprising four members will receive aid from the QC as part of the above campaign worth QR1000.

Called ‘Winter Banquet for Family of Four’ the package worth QR1000 will include a blanket a heater jackets hats gloves socks and scarves.

Also a blanket at a cost of QR 100 heater for QR250 a winter bag for two at a cost of QR400 which includes hats gloves socks and scarves; a ‘Food Basket’ that is sufficient for a family for one month (it has the basic supplies) at a cost of QR200 a ‘School Bag’ for QR100 and bread sufficient for a family for a month for QR50 could be donated via different methods. “We urge people to support the campaign in which the needed winter supplies prices vary from QR50 to QR1000” said Al Marri.

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Donations can be made at Al Rayyan Bank — IBAN / QA40MAFR 00000000000 3111111001 through Qatar Charity website qcharity.org or at its headquarters its branches or at collection points in shopping malls.

Donations can also be made by sending ‘Syria’ in SMS to 92632 to donate QR50 to 92642 to donate QR100 to 92428 to donate QR500 and to 92429 to donate QR1000.

Qatar Charity’s winter campaigns to support Syrian people started in 2011 and since then 6083617 people have benefit from the project.

During the last season ‘Syria Winter’ at a cost of QR10000000 benefit 128619 people. Beneficiaries received tents blankets mattresses fuel heaters children’s clothes supplies and milk for the children.

The Peninsula