* Campaign aims to meet food and winterisation needs of 42,200 families (253,260 people) in 10 countries

Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has launched its annual Warm Winter Campaign for the year 2020-2021, with the theme of #DignityIsPriceless.

Under Licence No 1299/2020 by the Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities, the new campaign is aimed at meeting the food and winterisation needs of around 42,200 families (253,260 people) in 10 countries, QRCS has said in a statement.

In this respect, QRCS secretary-general Ali bin Hassan al-Hammadi said: “Since the beginning of 2020, there have been successive humanitarian crises that weighed heavily on the victims of existing disasters and conflicts and added to them thousands, or even millions, of new victims affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, flash floods in Sudan, the Beirut Harbour explosion and other emergencies that displaced households, damaged homes and facilities and destroyed livelihoods

“To the vulnerable and the distressed, the winter is equivalent to suffering and hardship, particularly children, women, patients and older persons. They are desperate for the winterisation aid provided every year by Qatar Red Crescent Society under its annual Warm Winter campaign. Over the past five years, more than 1mn beneficiaries in dozens of poor countries found shelter, warmth and food at a total cost of QR65mn, which helped them bear the difficult living conditions during the winter."

Al-Hammadi invited everyone who wishes to stand by their brothers and sisters in humanity to support a wide range of winterisation relief projects, be generous to the poor and the homeless, and preserve their dignity during the winter, inspired by the slogan 'Dignity Is Priceless'.

To ensure the warmth and dignity of the beneficiaries, Faisal Mohamed al-Emadi, executive director of Relief and International Development at QRCS, said the campaign would cover Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, Gaza, Jerusalem and the West Bank, Bangladesh, Sudan and Somalia.

According to him, there are two categories of aid: food parcels containing local food staples that last for one month and non-food items such as heaters, heating oil and coal, blankets, carpets, medications, mattresses, jackets, pyjamas, scarfs, hats, gloves, socks and shoes.

“These projects will be implemented by our foreign representation missions and offices in the target countries, in co-ordination with the host national societies and local governments,” said al-Emadi. “The standard procedures will be strictly observed in the procurement of relief items, under the direct supervision of QRCS’s headquarters in Doha, thus ensuring maximum integrity, transparency and compliance."

Yousef Mohamed al-Awadi, director of the Financial Resources Development at QRCS, asserted that donation to the Warm Winter projects is "religiously permissible, as per a fatwa from QRCS’s Shariah Committee".

Several means of donation were prepared for the esteemed donors who would like to support this campaign, including the website (www.qrcs.org.qa), donor service hotline (66666346) and home visit (33998898).

For those who prefer mobile donation, they can send an SMS as follows:

* Food parcel: send an SMS with the symbol “F” to 92092 (QR500) or 92552 (QR250).

* Winterisation kit: send an SMS with the symbol “K” to 92092 (QR500) or 92552 (QR250).

* Heating supplies: send an SMS with the symbol “W” to 92246 (QR1,000), 92552 (QR250) or 92216 (QR100).

Or, one can make a remittance via the following bank accounts:

* Qatar Islamic Bank – IBAN: QA51QISB000000000110575190014.

* Qatar International Islamic Bank – IBAN: QA66QIIB000000001111126666003.

* QNB – IBAN: QA21QNBA000000000850020196062.

* Masraf Al Rayan – IBAN: QA18MAFR000000000011199980003.