Qatar Fund for Development Signs Grant Agreement with Qatar Red Crescent to Help Rohingya People

Doha, November 11 (QNA) - The Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) and Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) have signed a grant agreement of about QR 4 million to deliver primary and secondary health care for the Rohingya refugees forced to move to Bangladesh, and to provide shelter for internally displaced people in Rakhine State, Myanmar. The agreement was signed by Manager of Country Programs at QFFD Sultan bin Ahmed Al Aseeri and Executive Director of QRCS Youssef Abdullah Al Sada. In his remarks on the occasion, Al Aseeri praised the effective role played by the State of Qatar in helping needy people around the world, adding that the Rohingya refugees are suffering on a daily basis to reach the most basic means of living, as their lives are constantly threatened by poverty, hunger, disease and displacement. This assistance, he said, represents a new hope for them, particularly as providing primary health care and shelter will ensure a long-lasting impact for those in need. Health sector projects are considered a priority for QFFD, as it is one of the sustainable development's goals, said Al Aseeri. For his part, Al Sada deeply hailed QFFD for this generous support to QRCS's relief efforts for Rohingya people, both internally displaced people in Myanmar and refugees forced to move to border areas in Bangladesh. He also referred to the previous cooperation between the two sides in response to the humanitarian crisis with $500,000 contribution to provide them with shelters, food and nonfood aid, water and sanitation. He reaffirmed the importance of the strategic partnership between QRCS and QFFD, pointing out that this reflects the State of Qatar's constant determination and wise leadership in supporting the vulnerable and affected people everywhere. Qatar has always been and will always remain a defender of human rights, he said, pointing out that as an auxiliary to the State of Qatar in its local and international humanitarian endeavors, QRCS is firmly committed to its mission of saving lives and preserving human dignity. Under the agreement, the relief program will involve improving the living conditions at shelter camps in Myanmar, by constructing shelters for the displaced in the Sittwe and Kyauktaw townships of Rakhine State. To be constructed in cooperation with local partners and community-based committees, the new shelters will help protect 6,720 direct beneficiaries, as well as 33,600 indirect beneficiaries, mainly women, children, elderly people, and the poorest households. As for the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, the field hospital of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) at the Palong Khali camp in Cox's Bazar, will be developed and operated to offer primary and secondary health care for around 800,000 refugees and host communities. In addition, the international medical professionals will be replaced with local personnel. Nine medical and administrative personnel from QRCS will be assigned to supervise the project for one year, and 90 local medics will be qualified through training workshops to run the medical facility. An agreement will be signed with IFRC, the Finnish Red Cross, and Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) as funding and facilitation partners in the project, as well as the implementation of some infrastructure projects and other related issues. (QNA)