QRCS provides safe shelter for affected families in Yemen [EN/AR]

April 2nd, 2024 – Doha, Qatar: The representation office of Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) in Yemen has completed the construction of 83 24-m3 2BHK housing units, as part of a project to shelter disaster-affected families in Taiz, at a cost of $418,424 (QR 1,525,155).

The project is aimed at encouraging internally displaced people (IDPs) to return to their home villages, by providing safe and appropriate shelters that ensure protection against extreme winter and summer weather conditions.

Adel Mushamar, Director of Al-Maafer District, happily praised the project as a “vital step to help IDPs and victims of war to stabilize back home”.

He added, “It is a culmination of the efforts made by the local authority and executive unit, together with humanitarian partners. I would like to thank QRCS for this humanitarian intervention, and I hope that partners will pay more attention to this sector”.

Eng. Ahmed Hassan Al-Sharaji, head of QRCS office in Yemen, said, “Over the past couple of years, QRCS completed several shelter projects. These included the construction of 105 and 85 housing units for disaster-affected and poor people in Hadhramaut and Raymah respectively. In partnership with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), we implemented multiple shelter activities, including the construction of 350 makeshift shelters for IDPs in Maqbanah, maintenance and renovation of 106 war-damaged homes in Al-Mudhaffar, maintenance and rehabilitation of 360 makeshift shelters at four camps in Marib Al-Wadi, and renovation of 80 shelters in Al-Hali (in progress”.

QRCS’s office in Yemen had been selected among the top shelter providers in the country, according to OCHA’s shelter cluster report on humanitarian partners during the first half of 2022. This was the result of great efforts made by QRCS’s personnel in Yemen to implement shelter projects, deliver on time, and actively engage in national and local shelter clusters.

Amid multiple global challenges, IDPs and refugees hardly find a safe, stable housing away from dangers and homelessness. In forced displacement, resulting from armed conflict, humanitarian crises, or natural disasters, millions are forced to leave their domiciles in search of security and protection.

QRCS is a major shelter provider for IDPs and refugees, securing emergency aid like tents, blankets, etc. to improve their living conditions; creating makeshift camps for affected people; and providing infrastructure such as roads, power and water supply, and sewage systems to make shelter facilities livable. Such efforts significantly help alleviate the impact on affected people, improve their quality of life, and ensure their social security and mental health.

At a total cost of QR 37,498,000, QRCS will implement nine shelter projects for 21,420 beneficiaries in six countries as follows: Palestine (Gaza), Syria, Yemen, Niger, Somalia, and Afghanistan. These projects include the construction, restoration, and rehabilitation of homes; provision of furniture, solar panels, and shelter kits (blankets, mattresses, etc.); and construction of model IDP villages.

During 2023, QRCS implemented 20 projects of shelter and nonfood items (NFIs) — almost 22% of its total international operations — at a cost of QR 45,345,315, for the benefit of 753,395 people in Pakistan, Yemen, Syria, Niger, Bangladesh, Palestine, Jordan, and Iraq. These projects ranged from the provision of hygiene kits, kitchenware, tents, blankets, mattresses, children’s clothes, heaters, heating oil, and power generators to the construction of homes, services facilities (mosques, health centers, shops, etc.), and kids areas.

QRCS invites the rich to support this year’s plans to provide shelter and NFIs for those in need (all of which are eligible to Zakat in accordance with Sharia rules and laws) via the website (www.qrcs.qa), donor service (66666364), home donation collection (33998898), or bank transfer as follows: QIB (IBAN: QA51QISB000000000110575190014), QIIB (IBAN: QA66QIIB000000001111126666003), Masraf Al Rayan (IBAN: QA18MAFR000000000011199980003), or QNB (IBAN: QA21QNBA000000000850020196062).

About Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS)

Established in 1978, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) is Qatar’s first humanitarian and volunteering organization that aims to assist and empower vulnerable individuals and communities without partiality or discrimination.

QRCS is a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which consists of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and 192 National Societies. It is also a member of several GCC, Arab, and Islamic organizations, such as the Islamic Committee of International Crescent (ICIC) and the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organization (ARCO). In this legally recognized capacity, QRCS has access to disaster and conflict zones, thus serving as an auxiliary to the State of Qatar in its humanitarian and social efforts — a role that distinguishes it from other local charities and NGOs.

Both locally and internationally, QRCS has relief and development operations in numerous countries throughout the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Central and South America. Its humanitarian mandates include disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and risk reduction. To mitigate the impact of disasters and improve the livelihoods of affected populations, QRCS provides medical services, food, water, shelter, and other needs of local communities. It is also active at the humanitarian diplomacy and advocacy front.

With the help of a vast network of trained, committed staff and volunteers, QRCS aspires to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity, inspired by the seven Fundamental Principles of humanitarian action: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality.