There were some 218,955 beneficiaries of Qatar Charity (QC)’s projects and sponsorship initiatives in Sudan in 2017, aided by the continuous support of the people of Qatar.
QC’s Sudan office director Hussein Karmash said in a press statement that the organisation implemented a number of projects in key areas, including relief, food, health, social and educational matters, income generation, Qur’an centres, mosques, housing for poor and water.
These projects were carried out at a cumulative cost of around QR90mn, benefiting nearly 219,000 people, he noted.
Since the opening of its office in January 1994, QC “has continued making strong contributions to development efforts in Sudan, completed several relief and development projects and carried on sponsoring different needy segments of the community”, the official said, adding that these projects have been implemented in different parts of the country in co-ordination and partnership with local and international organisations.
The number of people sponsored by Qatar Charity, with the aim of supporting women and families, has reached 8,500. They include 7,324 orphans, 408 poor families, 382 teachers, 328 students and 58 persons with special needs.
More than 4,000 orphans have benefited from QC’s activities, including recreational trips, health days and training courses in addition to the International Orphan Day, which was attended by more than 1,000 orphans.
Also, some 54,955 people from different segments, and sponsored by QC, have benefited from its seasonal projects, the statement adds.
As part of the relief and disaster response, Qatar Charity said it contributed to alleviating the burden of people by distributing 4,500 food baskets, which benefited 31,000 orphan families and community members, in addition to those enjoying QC sponsorship as well as those who accepted voluntary repatriation to their villages in Darfur.
The Qatar Charity office has implemented 32 income-generating projects, the most important of which is the livelihood project, in addition to the construction of seven houses with funding from the United Nations Development Programme to benefit seven poor families. This was done with the aim of “reintegrating the displaced people”, QC stressed.
Meanwhile, the QC office in Sudan built three health centres, while four others were under construction. It also supported 800 eye operations.
In terms of water and sanitation, Qatar Charity drilled 86 artesian wells, equipped with hand pumps, provided 16 water coolers and carried out work on four water plant projects in River Nile State to benefit around 84,400 people there, the statement informed.
QC also implemented 51 education-related projects, including mosques, Qur’an memorisation centres, a cultural library and multi-service centes in addition to holding workshops to highlight the importance of peaceful coexistence in Darfur, benefiting some 16,400 people.
The organisation built Sheikha Aisha Bint Hamad Bin Abdullah Al-Attiyah Model Orphans City, which was opened in mid-April last year, at a cost of more than $12m in Al Damar in the River Nile State.
The Model Orphans City has 200 houses, each consisting of two rooms, a hall, a kitchen and a bathroom, in addition to a kindergarten, girls’ and boys’ schools, a vocational training centre, a health centre, a mosque, a shopping mall, playgrounds for children, green spaces and two water wells to supply the city with safe drinking water. It has also provided various public and sanitation services and built an administrative office.