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Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) ran a campaign throughout Ramadan, “ROTA Reaches Out to All Children” which involved a number of special Iftars, housing renovations as well as Garangao celebrations.
ROTA director Essa al-Mannai said: “As our Ramadan 2011 project focused on Qatar’s children, we knew that success would not have been possible without our partners.
“This year, we were honoured and grateful to receive support from THE One, Qatar First Investment Bank, Al Meera and the Dhreima Qatar Foundation Orphanage,” he said, adding “because of their firm backing, many of the country’s children and families have been reached by our initiatives, and have been able to truly celebrate Ramadan and the values it stands for.”
THE One sponsored house renovations with in-kind donations and volunteer supports which saw renovations, repainting and new furniture provided for a number of homes over two days.
Country manager of THE One, Gabrial Salome noted: “THE One has always had a very community-focused CSR approach. We were honoured when ROTA offered us a partnership for Ramadan. As ROTA, we believe that partnership with other like-minded organisations is essential for the success of any initiative.”
Qatar First Investment Bank also supported house renovations, organised an Iftar for elderly residents of Qatar Foundation for the Elderly and provided food vouchers for underprivileged families.
CEO of the bank, Emad Mansour said: “We share ROTA’s vision in reaching out to the less fortunate specifically during the holy month of Ramadan.”
“As an Islamic institution we have an ongoing commitment to support and ensure the welfare of the underprivileged in our community,” he said, adding “our annual Ramadan Blessing campaign was launched with this objective in mind.
“This year our partnership with ROTA contributed significantly to the success of our campaign - we look forward to a continuous partnership with ROTA,” added Mansour.
Al Meera also supported the campaign, distributing food to families in need throughout the country.
“Al Meera is part of the community, and issues that affect our communities affect us too,” said CEO of Al Meera, Guy Sauvage, adding “we were more than happy to team up with ROTA to provide food for needy families all over the country, and we hope that we helped them celebrate the virtues of Ramadan along with the rest of us.”
The Dhreima Qatar Foundation Orphanage supported the campaign by hosting an Iftar to honour sponsors
and celebrate Garangao.
General manager of the foundation, Khaled al-Emadi said: “We are grateful for the support provided by ROTA and their strategic partners in supporting the orphanage and its mission. The children were ecstatic as they engaged the volunteers and participated in Garangao - we are extremely thankful for ROTA’s altruistic efforts in bringing the joy of Ramadan to the orphans,” he added.
Throughout the campaign, a large number of volunteers worked to reach out to as many families and children as possible.
“Ramadan provided an ideal opportunity for the volunteers to give back directly to their communities at home, in a manner that reflects the values of the month,” explained ROTA Community Development Manager Mohammed Abdulla Saleh.
ROTA will also hold a Ramadan reflection event at the end of September to mark the conclusion of the campaign.
“Ramadan may be only be 30 days long, but the effects of our initiatives will continue on for a long time - this is our way of saying thank you to all those involved,” added al-Mannai.
Aspire Zone also hosted a number of activities throughout Ramadan to support the event and support their mission to encourage a healthy lifestyle.
The Aspire indoor football pitch hosted two regional football tournaments for national teams: the 8th Under 17 GCC Football Junior Championship, and the 3rd Under 23 GCC Olympic National Team Football Championship.
Qtel hosted their annual Ramadan staff futsal tournament at the Aspire multipurpose hall, while the Aspire Active community programme organised free outdoor fitness classes at Aspire Park.
Aspire Logistics also organised the first Aspire Zone Foundation Ramadan Football Championship, which proved a success, a spokesperson said.
As well as community initiatives, a number of other groups organised special programmes to mark Ramada.
Over 50 members of the team from the Wyndham Grand Regency Hotel Doha took to the streets to distribute food packages for motorists at Iftar.
General manager Ayman Lotfy said: “Ramadan is a special time for giving, and this is our way of giving back to the community during this holy month.”
Moevenpick Tower and Suites also hosted special Iftar and suhour celebrations, including traditional Arabic evenings in the Ramadan Bedouin tent, where officials from Al Noor Institute met with the vice-chairman of Qatar Foundation, Saif al-Hajiri and enjoyed cultural performances by some of the children.
Several companies also concluded their Ramadan celebrations by hosting special Iftar and suhour gatherings, such as Qatar Automobiles Company (QAC), which organised an Iftar dinner for management officials and representatives of the local media.
A spokesperson said the dinner was “considered to be a combination of both a Holy Eid greeting dinner, and a reunion of the elite representatives from the renowned companies in Qatar.”