Doha, Qatar: This year marked the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which concluded with Qatar National Day. All departments of Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) coordinated closely with various Qatari organizations to ensure an exceptional tournament that won international praise for all Arabs.
Locally, QRCS’s Volunteering and Local Development Division carried out a wide range of programs that have benefited 216,715 vulnerable people, including widows, orphans, patients, students, and persons with disability, at a total cost of QR 36,528,618. The division comprises three sections:
Community Care: This section has a portfolio of permanent and seasonal programs designed to help those in need and improve their quality of life.
Community Development: This section focuses on socioeconomic empowerment for expatriate workers and penitentiary inmates, as well as first-aid training for school students and the public.
Volunteering: This section promotes volunteerism as a culture, with 27,130 volunteers currently registered with QRCS.
QRCS’s Medical Affairs Division supports the health authorities in implementing the national public health strategy, offering medical and ambulance services, and managing primary health care facilities. Year-to-date, the division has provided services worth QR 269,844,389, with 1,749,068 beneficiaries.
Under an agreement with the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), QRCS operates four health centers and one medical commission unit for single male expatriate workers, as well as a medical clinic at the Mekaines Motel for quarantined patients. These facilities have so far received 1,254,610 visitors.
The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Department boasts a fleet of 50 fully equipped multi-size ambulance vehicles, run by highly trained medics, who provide medical coverage at sports and public events and transport patients to hospitals. There are two first-aid units stationed at Villaggio Mall and Doha Quest. During 2022, a total of 17,476 people benefited from EMS interventions.
QRCS’s Training and Development Center holds continuing professional education (CPD), training of trainers (ToT), Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and first-aid courses, as well as health education for workers and the public. In total, the center benefited about 476,980 medical personnel, workers, housewives, students, teachers, and other individuals.
The Relief and International Development Division is responsible for international relief and development operations, with representation offices/missions in host countries. According to preliminary statistics, QRCS implemented 173 emergency and development projects valued at QR 211,760,620, for the benefit of 6,077,529 people in 30 countries: Palestine (the West Bank and Gaza), Sudan, Mauritania, Thailand, Lebanon, Iraq, the Gambia, Tajikistan, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Yemen, Syria, Kosovo, Jordan, Somalia, Albania, Mongolia, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Mali, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Venezuela, India, Rwanda, South Africa, Bosnia, Malawi, and Kenya.
Under an agreement with RKH – Qitarat (service provider for Doha Metro and Lusail Tram), about 250 specialized volunteers were deployed 24/7 at railway stations to manage the public and prevent crowds.
On the eve of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, QRCS launched #Qatar2022ForAll, a humanitarian initiative supported by Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), and beIN Sports. More than 50 fan zones were established in Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Yemen, Sudan, Bangladesh, Syria, Mauritania, and Kyrgyzstan, to display World Cup matches and hold diverse sports, fun, and educational activities for the benefit of 271,000 people.
The main seasonal campaigns launched during 2022 were (1) Ramadan Campaign 1443 AH (200,000 beneficiaries – QR 70 million), (2) Adahi 1443 AH (120,000 beneficiaries in 20 countries), and (3) Warm Winter 2022-2023 (261,300 beneficiaries in 14 countries – QR 13.5 million).
Source: Qatar Red Crescent Society