HBJ Foundation carries out projects worth QR150mn

Jassim and Hamad bin Jassim Charitable Foundation (HBJ Foundation) announced that it has carried out a number of development projects in Asia and Africa at a cost of more than QR150mn as part of its plan for this year, which benefit thousands of Muslims in several countries including India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the Comoros.The projects included building of housing units, hospitals, vocational training centres, mosques and drinking water facilities, in addition to its contribution to the support of some projects in the medical, educational and other humanitarian fields, HBJ Foundation said in a statement on Wednesday.HBJ Foundation Chief Executive Officer Saeed Mathkar al-Hajri said: “The foundation has implemented a decent number of humanitarian and development projects locally before starting to carry out developmental projects regionally and internationally’’,  adding that some projects have been completely implemented while others are still underway”.Al-Hajri revealed that the construction of Sheikh Jassim Vocational Training Centre in Dabul city – Maharashtra State in India – has been completed.The QR2mn facility, which can accommodate 128 students, is scheduled to be inaugurated within a few months. The project aims at empowering the poor to have opportunities for technical education in four major areas, namely welding, electricity, plumbing and blacksmithery.Also, the foundation will shortly sign a contract to establish a project for the construction of drinking water network in Tajikistan. Al-Hajri said: “A delegation from HBJ Foundation visited the area to assess the situation and put together an implementation plan for this specific project in addition to another project for the establishment of TB diagnosis and treatment centre.” Al-Hajri pointed out that HBJ Foundation is working on implementing of a 45-bed hospital project in the ‘Sidi Yosif bin Ali’ area in Marrakesh province – Morocco, in addition to constructing 116 housing units in the same province. The total cost of the foundation’s projects in Morocco is over QR25mn.”He explained that the Foundation, as part of its plan for this year, will work in Thailand and Mauritania, adding that the planning of some projects is underway, including the establishment of an orphanage in southern Thailand and a construction of a housing city in Mauritania’s capital Nouakchott.HBJ Foundation is implementing one of its biggest projects, Sheikh Jassim Hospital in the island of Anjouan – Comoros Islands. The hospital will provide integrated healthcare services with high efficiency to the poor as well as assist in improving the level of health services in the country.The estimated number of beneficiaries of this project is 790,000 in the three islands of Grande Comore, Anjouan and Moheli. The total cost of the project is more than QR100mn.