ALF partners with UK charity in three projects

Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani, founder of the Alfaisal Without Borders Foundation (ALF), met in London with Prince Charles to witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to donate £250,000 (QR1.4mn) a year to partner in three projects under The Prince’s Charities’ Mosaic mentoring initiative. During a reception held at Clarence House in London recently, Prince Charles received Sheikh Faisal and they spoke about the plans for the three projects partnered by ALF, including transfer of skills from the Mosaic team to that of the foundation. The MoU was signed by ALF general manager Abdullatif Ali al-Yafei and Mosaic national director Jonathan Freeman. The three projects are Mosaic Secondary School Mentoring Programme, which focuses on raising the skills and aspirations of teenagers in deprived areas of the UK; Mosaic Young Offenders Programme, which helps offenders transition from custody to community; and Enterprise Business Challenge, a one-year programme run by Mosaic and Injaz in Jordan. Mosaic is part of Business in the Community, the Prince of Wales’s charity that promotes responsible business practice.The first project matches skilled mentors with small groups of secondary school pupils and together they work on building the pupils’ motivation and self-image as well as improving their soft skills. Under the second project, one-on-one mentoring of young (18-35 years old) Muslim offenders is undertaken over the course of a year, helping them through the process of release from prison and rehabilitation into society.The third project aims to overcome the high levels of unemployment in Jordan by planting the seeds of entrepreneurship and business acumen among young people. Business mentors will work with 1,000 15-17-year-olds in 20 schools and youth institutions.Sheikh Faisal said: “The foundation is delighted to work with The Prince’s Charities and, in particular, to partner with these three projects that empower young people by giving them knowledge and skills to take control of their own futures and play a role in transforming their environment.”Al-Yafei said: “The partnership with Mosaic is in line with the foundation’s key mission to support the less advantaged and socially deprived.”ALF executive director Ali Mar’e said: “The aim is to help to improve the lives of the beneficiaries of its support with skills and qualifications to help them in today’s volatile world.”  Freeman said: “We are delighted to welcome Alfaisal Without Borders Foundation as Platinum Patrons of our important work. The foundation’s support will enable us to deliver significant increases in the scale and quality of our work.”