Tribune News Network
Doha
As part of its endeavour to promote positive coping mechanisms for the displaced, Qatar Charity has completed the construction of a football stadium in Zoghra camp in the countryside of Aleppo in northern Syria.
Qatar Charity inaugurated the stadium in the presence of a representative from the Turkish Disaster Relief Agency and representatives from the local council of the city of Azaz.
Khaled Al Yafei, director of the Emergency and Relief Department at Qatar Charity, said Qatar Charity seeks, through its construction of the stadium, to provide a safe, healthy and stimulating recreational environment for youth and children, where they can develop their sports and social skills alike, and improve the physical and psychological conditions of the youth group to become pioneers in their society and active contributors.
He noted the importance of investing in the positive values of sports and helping children and youth to promote community building and psychological well-being in building a better future.
During his speech at the inauguration of the project, Hassan Al Abed, field coordinator of Qatar Charity projects in the Azaz region in northern Syria, stressed that the football field is not only a place for practising sports but also a meeting place for youth and society.
He added that it is also a place that brings together friendship, cooperation and healthy competition, and provides an opportunity to enhance the values of communication and understanding among members of society.
The camp officials and the local youth and sports officials expressed the importance of the stadium and its role.
Alaa Al Mohammed, director of Zoghara camp, said:
"The importance of this playground lies in the absence of any space to play inside the camp and the absence of sports facilities from the camp’s perimeter of more than 25 kilometres where their energies can be put in the right place and direction.
Adnan Al Essa, director of the Youth and Sports Office in the city of Jarabulus, explained: "The idea of establishing a stadium in this area is a very special idea, which received a great positive response among the people of Zoghra camp and the nearby areas surrounding the camp, where sports are the only outlet for the area. We hope that Qatar Charity will establish other stadiums in the main areas due to its distinctive role.”
Qatar Charity, in cooperation with its partners and within the framework of the ‘FIFA Qatar 2022 for All: Sharing the Joy of Refugees and Displaced’ initiative, supervised at the end of last year the fans’ areas inside refugee and displaced camps in several countries, including Syria, Jordan, Bangladesh, Somalia, Kenya and Sudan.