Qatar Charity chairman Sheikh Hamad bin Nasser al-Thani, CEO Yusuf bin Ahmed al-Kuwari, Qatari ambassador Khalid bin Rashid al-Mansouri, QC United Kingdom managing director Salman Galadari and senior officials from QC and Qatar’s embassy in London after the new office’s opening.
Qatar Charity (QC) has opened an office in London (QCUK) to oversee its projects in Europe. The decision was made “in light of the recent development of these projects in terms of quality and quantity”, according to an official.
The office was opened by a delegation from QC, headed by its chairman Sheikh Hamad bin Nasser al-Thani and CEO Yusuf bin Ahmed al-Kuwari, in the presence of Qatari ambassador Khalid bin Rashid al-Mansouri, a high-level delegation from the embassy and the managing director of the new office, Salman Galadari.
“The opening of the office comes because of the need for direct supervision of Qatar Charity projects in Britain and in Europe generally, especially with the development of these projects and their increase in size,” Sheikh Hamad bin Nasser said.
He explained that the cost of projects in Europe since 2010 to the present day had exceeded QR500mn, “which has included a number of projects for the benefit of the Muslim communities there”.
“Qatar Charity seeks to perpetuate its presence globally and to create a presence that can serve humanity across all continents,” he said.
“We see the world as one village and we must serve the whole village, particularly in light of the extraordinary success we have achieved as we carried out 40% of the Qatari humanitarian aid abroad,” Sheikh Hamad bin Nasser explained.
“The office will be a door to Europe allowing people of goodwill to donate and act as an ambassador for the people of Qatar, improving the impact of donations made by donors for charitable projects.”
Al-Kuwari explained that the new office came within the framework of the expansion plan adopted by the QC, “which requires a direct presence through field offices, supervised by staff with expertise in charitable and humanitarian work”.
He pointed out that QC offices had now reached 18, spread across three continents.
“Qatar Charity’s new London office will be working on the direct follow-up of development projects either in Britain or other European countries, where QC has established Islamic centres, schools and institutes in countries like France and Italy, in addition to other projects and programmes in European countries such as Bosnia, Kosovo and Albania,” he said.
Galadari gave a presentation on QC and its goals and prospects for work, pointing out that the primary goal was to support the social and economic progress of the most disadvantaged in the UK and other European countries.
He explained that the new office would provide an opportunity for Qatari investors and businesses in the UK to express their social responsibility.
QC has 18 offices in the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe, incorporating the countries of Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Palestine (two offices), Mauritania, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Niger and Burkina Faso, Comoros, Mali, Albania, Bosnia and Kosovo and Tunisia as well as QCUK.
