RAF spent QR376.5m in first half of 2016
Date
7/26/2016 3:36:26 AM
(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Sheikh Dr. Khalid bin Thani Al Thani (centre), Chairman, RAF, and other officials during RAF press conference at Ezdan Towers yesterday. Pic: Baher Amin / The Peninsula
By Sanaullah Ataullah
DOHA: Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah Foundation for Humanitarian Services (RAF) spent QR376.5m on charity projects in Qatar and outside during the first half of this year.
The expenditures increased 37 percent from QR274.2m in the first half of 2015.
The expenditures on local projects jumped by 74 percent from QR43.1m in the first half of 2015 to QR74.9m in the first half of this year.
Foreign projects cost QR301m, up 30 percent. Donations also rose by 17 percent to QR326.6m in the first six months of this year from QR279.9m in the corresponding period last year.
The figures were provided by RAF officials in a ceremony held yesterday to release a six-month report on RAF";s achievements in Qatar and abroad. RAF gave special focus on local projects to help the needy people. More than half a million (QR660,414) was spent during the first six months of this year to provide air tickets to low-income workers so they could travel to their countries. Cases included emergency situations when they were not entitled for tickets from their companies. More than QR3.1m was used to pay medical bills of those who could not afford.
RAF also doled out over QR12m this year, up 50 percent compared to last year on education projects, including school and college fees on requests of parents of students who could not bear the costs due to tough financial conditions because they lost their jobs or other reasons.
Some QR19m was spent to provide help to the poor and needy families and individuals, including citizens and expatriates.
Sheikh Dr Khalid bin Thani Al Thani, Chairman, RAF, addressing the event at Ezdan Towers yesterday. Pic: Baher Amin / The Peninsula
More than QR9m was given to help poor people — individuals and families — to help them lead a dignity life. The help included monthly home expenditures like rent, ration, school fees and others. More than QR7m was spent to provide pre-marital counselling to Qatari youth to educate them about social life so they could lead a happy married life.
Money spent to help in the release of detained loan defaulters increased from QR1.2m in the first half of last year to QR11.6m in the first of this year.
'RAF is going to complete eight years. During this span of time, it has made remarkable improvements in the quality and quantity of its services,” said Sheikh Dr. Khalid bin Thani Al Thani, Chairman, RAF.
'We expanded our charity activities in the country and launched projects to benefit a large number of people — citizens and expatriates,” said Ayed Dabsan Al Qahtani, General Manager and Chairman, Board of Trustees, RAF.
'RAF will make more partnerships with public and private institutions and companies to implement community projects, especially those to ensure stability of families and social lives of citizens,” said Al Qahtani. 'RAF also has international partners working under the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to work in sectors, including humanitarian aid, health, development, education, family, maternity and childhood to combat poorly worldwide.”
'More than seven million people have benefitted from the projects executed by RAF abroad at a cost of QR301.5m in the first half of this year,” said Dr Mohammad Salah Ibrahim, Deputy General Manager, RAF.
'RAF has emerged No. 1 in the world in terms of supporting Syrian people battling with crises. It has launched several initiatives to provide education and food for the needy people in 97 countries in five continents,” he added. In the first six month of this year, RAF sent 50 delegations to 25 countries to follow up on hundreds of ongoing projects financed by it, he added.
'Expenditures reflect the increasing number of projects in Qatar. RAF recorded 74 percent increase from QR43m in first half of last year to QR75m in the first half of this year,” said Dr Yaha Al Naimi, Head, Local Affairs Department, RAF. RAF plans to open a big project ‘RAF Centre for Family Development"; by next year, he added.
The Peninsula