Under its Ramadan Campaign for 1444 AH, ‘Humanity First: Give to Charity’, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) is planning to launch nine shelter projects this year for the benefit of 43,190 people in Syria, Yemen, Gaza, Niger, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, at a total cost of over QR21mn.
In northern Syria, a model residential village will be constructed for the earthquake-affected families, comprising 300 homes, a mosque, a school, a health centre, facilities and services.
Also, QRCS will support, rehabilitate and operate four orphanages in northern Syrian villages. In Yemen, 25 housing units will be constructed for poor families, and 5,440 shelter kits will be distributed to displaced families.
Other development projects include a 25-home residential village for poor families in Niger, 10 80sq m mosques (each with a capacity of 1,000 people) and 10 120sq m mosques (each with a capacity of 1,400 people) in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, to enable refugees and locals to perform prayer and other religious practices.
In Gaza, 90 poor families and persons with special needs will have their homes restored, maintained and provided with solar panels. In Afghanistan, QRCS’s representation office will distribute 1,500 shelter kits to poor Afghan families.
During 2022, the shelter sector ranked second in QRCS’s foreign operations in terms of budget, totalling QR63,277,524. Among the achievements are the establishment of residential villages and services complexes, construction and restoration of homes, winterisation aid, Eid clothing, and distribution of nonfood items (NFIs), a press statement noted.
A total of 343,667 people benefited from these projects in 17 countries: Sudan, Palestine (Gaza and the West Bank), Tajikistan, Bangladesh, India, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Somalia, Pakistan, Iraq, Venezuela, South Africa, Mongolia, Kosovo and Afghanistan.
In recognition of QRCS’s considerable achievements in the shelter sector, its representation office in Yemen featured among the partners with the highest implementation in the mid-year report of the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Shelter Cluster Yemen.
“This selection was the product of great efforts of QRCS’s personnel to carry out shelter projects in many humanitarian tracks and inaccessible areas of Yemen. QRCS pays great attention to collecting accurate data, is committed to submitting timely results, and has active participation within the national shelter cluster and hubs,” the statement added.
QRCS’s interventions focus on the activities with maximum benefit for the target groups, while complying with international humanitarian standards and considering the work environment.
Priorities of work include transparency with beneficiaries and accountability among stakeholders, beneficiaries and the organisation. In its development projects, QRCS takes into consideration the issue of gender and supports continuity in overlapping areas, to ensure no impact on beneficiaries upon the closure of projects.
Apart from shelters, QRCS provides NFI assistance to improve the living conditions of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), such as blankets, jerrycans, mosquito nets, tarpaulins, kitchenware, shelter toolkits and hygiene kits.
The shelter sector proved evidently critical in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Syria, Turkiye and several neighbouring countries almost two months ago. Millions of people in northern Syria and Turkiye remain desperate for emergency shelters, such as tents and caravans. Most of them had their homes destroyed by the earthquake and aftershocks, but many are reluctant to return to their unaffected homes in fear of potential earthquakes.
To qualify its field relief personnel to provide emergency shelter, QRCS holds theoretical lectures to introduce the trainees to the rules of planning, establishing, furnishing and operating refugee/IDP shelter camps in compliance with the Sphere Project criteria, as well as practical training to install makeshift individual/family shelter tents using the standard shelter toolkit.
To donate to QRCS’s shelter projects, one can visit its website (www.qrcs.org.qa), download the mobile application QRCS (App Store or Google Play), call the donor service (66666364) or home donation collection (33998898), or send an SMS with “shelter” to the following numbers: 92552 (QR250), 92869 (QR350), 92092 (QR500), 92556 (QR750), 92246 (QR1,000).
One can also make a bank transfer to the following bank accounts: QNB (QA21QNBA000000000850020196062), QIB (QA51QISB000000000110575190014), QIIB (QA66QIIB000010026100001002610) and Masraf Al Rayan (QA18MAFR000000000011199980003).
Umran residential town in northern Syria (file picture).
