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The Role of Qatar Fund For Development in Resolving Afghan Refugee Crisis

The Role of Qatar Fund For Development in Resolving Afghan Refugee Crisis

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Published in: Qatar Charity

The Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) is a Qatari development entity that plays an effective role in providing humanitarian and development support in various parts of the world. It has played a major role in resolving the Afghan refugee crisis through several activities that helped deal with the calamity.

QFFD in Afghanistan before the crisis

The QFFD provided significant support to Afghanistan

before the crisis, and raised the bar helping the country and its people. Among the most important of these contributions are:

Early in May 2018, the QFFD signed a $2 million agreement with the UN Humanitarian Coordinator to support urgent relief efforts for the most disadvantaged communities in Afghanistan.

“The QFFD grant will be used to provide life-saving aid to people who are in dire need, and these funds will help our partners inside Afghanistan meet the highest priority needs identified in the Afghanistan Humanitarian Response Plan,”

said Ali Abdullah Al-Dabbagh, Executive Director of the strategy of the QFFD.

Under the directives of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, an urgent medical aid plane from the QFFD was missioned to Kabul airport to help confront the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. The plane was received by senior Afghan officials and the Qatar Ambassador to Afghanistan, Saeed bin Mubarak Al-Khayareen with extensive media coverage.

The QFFD approved a financial grant for the training of women and girls in Afghanistan to enable them to keep pace with the labour market, and provide them with high-quality training, with a focus on the most important skills required in the labour market, such as skills related to information technology, personal skills, employment skills, and other business and financial management skills.

The agreement ceremony was attended by Lulwah Al-Khater, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, and the Qatar Ambassador to Afghanistan, Saeed bin Mubarak Al-Khayareen.

“When someone asks me why the State of Qatar is optimistic about a bright and stable future for Afghanistan, I find myself citing wonderful examples from the Afghan people, such as Roya Mahboob, who, despite the conditions of war in Afghanistan, trains dozens of girls in the field of computing and programming to compete with their peers who are being trained in prestigious international institutions,” said Al-Khater, and added, “I am happy to sign this agreement with the QFFD and I hope that it will spread hope and the spirit of challenge and excellence to a new generation of Afghan girls.”

Aid during the crisis

The QFFD has provided extensive support to help deal with the Afghan refugee crisis. Key contributions included:

Launching an aid air bridge in

partnership with Qatar Charity and Qatar Red Crescent.

Contributing along with other Qatari institutions to

provide medical and food aid, as the total humanitarian aid carried by Qatari aircraft to Kabul airport hit more than 700 tons in the period from September 2021 until March 2022.

With support from the QFFD, the UN

High Commissioner for Refugees delivered its first air shipments loaded with relief materials to Afghanistan to confront the harsh conditions of the winter.

A strategic partnership was concluded

between the QFFD and the Qatar Foundation, where the QFFD funded hosting a group of students from the American University of Afghanistan, and the university’s faculty and staff, in order to help the students complete their studies.

Launching the Qatar Scholarship for Afghans Project to

support access to higher education, in partnership with several institutions. Khalifa bin Jassim Al-Kuwari, Director General of the QFFD, described the project as “one of the many programs we are implementing in the education sector to support the Afghan people, as an educated society is key to the successful future of any country.”

Launching the Women in Conflict Zones Initiative,

which supports, for example, projects that provide educational opportunities and vocational training for Afghan girls in crises.

Dealing with Turquoise Mountain Trust as part of

 the Global Response, Resilience and Engagement Programme, to alleviate poverty and directly support livelihoods in Afghanistan.

Supporting the Afghan Girls Robotics Team

The Afghan Girls Robotics Team, also known as the Afghan Dreamers, is an all-girls robotics team from Herat, Afghanistan. The team was founded in 2017 by Roya Mahboob, who always aspired to support women’s learning and work.

Key Dates

On August 12, 2021

 the Digital Citizen Fund (DCF) requested assistance from Qatar to host the Afghan Girls Robotics Team, and the group has been in contact with a Qatari government official since Doha hosted its members in 2019.

“We contacted Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to host the team, and they immediately began granting visas to evacuate them from Afghanistan,” said Elizabeth Schaeffer Brown, a board member in the DCF, stressing how necessary for them is to continue studying.

When the girls arrived in Qatar, they were housed in three institutions according to their needs, and Qatar Foundation and QFFD provided them with full scholarships to world-class universities to help them continue their studies. The decision reflects Qatar’s deep commitment to ensuring that children of all ages enjoy the right to education.

The girls also gathered to work on their participation in the first International Robotics Challenge competition. One team member expressed her gratitude for what Qatar had offered, saying, “The Qatari government provided us with this opportunity to continue our educational journey so that our dreams would not evaporate.” Another student added, “When we arrived in Qatar, we were very happy because we felt really safe here. I have many dreams, and I can achieve them in this team.”

“Steps towards hope dispel the difficult circumstances that the Afghan Dreamers went through. We are happy to host them in Qatar’s Education City, where they will be able to continue their studies with joint educational scholarships from QFFD, our strategic partner,” the Qatar Foundation said, in a tweet on X, formerly Twitter.

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In March 2022,

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, announced that the Doha Forum Award would be awarded to Roya Mahboob, the team’s founder, for her great efforts in establishing the team despite the various challenges. Numerous congratulations to Roya at the time came from Thomas West, US Special Representative for Afghanistan, Jasper Fick, Germany Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Rena Amiri, US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls and Human Rights.

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In September 2022,

a year after the first group of girls arrived, a second group of 10 girls arrived in Doha to complete their education in the Qatar Foundation’s Academic Bridge Programme.

Through such continued efforts, the Qatar Fund For Development reaffirms its commitment to providing assistance during the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

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