Tuesday October 11, 2022
From left: Ali bin Hassan Al Hammadi and Yousef Mohamed Al Awadi
Doha: Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has announced the launch of its annual “Warm Winter” winterisation campaign. Under the theme “Humanity First: We Give Them Warmth”, the new drive is aimed at providing QR13.5m worth of winter projects/aid for the benefit of 261,300 people in 14 countries.
Ali bin Hassan Al Hammadi, Secretary-General of QRCS, said: “Too harsh is the winter for those families afflicted by the ‘downs of life’. They find themselves forcibly displaced to escape with their lives and children, suffering cold nights and hard days.”
For them to feel human, he said: “We need to show our humanity first. In anticipation of the painfully cold winter, here is our new ‘Warm Winter’ campaign, which seeks to ensure the warmth and protection of hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people. All humane donors are invited to be part of this noble humanitarian endeavour, helping to alleviate the impact of the severe winter on those in need.”
Under the project, a wide range of humanitarian aid will be provided, including heating materials; women’s, men’s and children’s coats; shelter kits (blankets, mattresses, carpets, straw mats, flashlights, electric heaters, and tarpaulins); winter medicines for common cold and fever; food parcels of local staples; and white flour for the production of bread.
In addition, QRCS will construct shelter units, install solar-powered water heaters, and construct water tanks.
The total number of people targeted with this winter aid is some 261,300 in numerous countries worst affected by the harsh winter conditions, as follows: Syria (40,830 beneficiaries), the West Bank and Al Quds (13,752), Gaza (20,310), Yemen (35,879), Iraq (12,312), Lebanon (24,450), Jordan (31,600), Bangladesh (38,036), Afghanistan (22,890), Sudan (6,545), Somalia (9,120), Albania (3,000), Kosovo (674), and Mongolia (1,920).
Youssef Mohamed Al Awadi, Director of Resource Development Department at QRCS, said there are many methods for donation to this humanitarian campaign, including QRCS’s website (www.qrcs.qa).
QRCS designed donation packages to expand the impact of donations. These include: “Give Food” to provide food items for 60 beneficiaries at a value of QR2,600, “Give Warmth” to provide heating materials for 24 beneficiaries at a value of QR1,300 and “Give Medication” to provide winter medicines for 24 beneficiaries at a value of QR500.