Tribune News Network
Doha
Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) and the British Embassy in Qatar on Tuesday signed a cooperation agreement to sustain the three-month Psychosocial Support Project for Palestinian Families Hosted in Qatar, implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).
The signing ceremony was attended by Minister of State for International Cooperation at MoFA HE Mariam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad, her accompanying delegation, UK Ambassador to Qatar HE Neerav Patel, his accompanying delegation, President of QRCS Yousef bin Ali Al Khater, and several heads of department.
The agreement was signed by Secretary-General of QRCS Faisal Mohamed Al Emadi and Deputy UK Ambassador to Qatar Duncan Hill.
The purpose of the agreement is to provide 80,000 pounds to enhance mental health services provided for Palestinian evacuees in Doha due to the ongoing war on Gaza. Involving a wide range of community-based mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) activities, the project is part of the Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s initiative to treat 1,500 injured people from Gaza, inspired by Qatar’s responsibility towards victims of war and disasters in Arab and Muslim countries.
Following the signing of the agreement, Misnad said, "The State of Qatar has always been contributing to all the efforts/events meant to address humanitarian crises and development causes. Humanitarian and diplomatic arenas are strongly interconnected. They go hand-in-hand to strengthen bilateral relations among governments and humanitarian/diplomatic organisations. This helps promote humanitarianism and enhance outreach to crisis and disaster zones.”
"Under the patronage of MoFA, this agreement between QRCS and the British Embassy to implement the psychosocial support project for Palestinian families hosted in Qatar comes in that context. These humanitarian efforts of both parties are highly valued,” she added.
Khater welcomed Misnad and praised her continuous humanitarian efforts to stand by the Palestinian guests of Qatar, as manifested in her interest in attending the agreement signing ceremony in person.
He also thanked the British Embassy in Doha for its valuable support for this vital project, which helped alleviate the psychological impact of war on affected people, especially vulnerable groups such as women and children.
The QRCS president emphasised the unwavering solidarity from Qatari government and organisations with the people of Gaza, giving them every possible form of support to survive the current tragedy.
"QRCS has always been committed to its humanitarian and fraternal responsibility towards our Palestinian brothers and sisters,” said Khater. "We have representation offices and field personnel in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as PSS personnel in Doha, working since day one to take care of the Palestinian families in the country. This agreement would make these services available for a longer time, thus ensuring the well-being, safety, and mental health of the injured people and their families.”
For his part, Patel said, "This is an important collaboration with MoFA and QRCS to support their invaluable efforts in the provision of critical mental health services for Palestinians in Qatar. We believe in this partnership’s transformative potential.”
The project serves as a psychological and social enrichment for the beneficiaries, through community engagement, group discussions, mental health consultations, sports and exercising activities (e.g., football and volleyball), handicrafts (e.g sewing, colouring, and henna painting), and educational, informative, and recreational events.