Qtel’s Refaq volunteers refurbishing a home.
By CHRIS V PANGANIBAN
DOHA: Qtel’s highly-regarded Refaq programme which has changed the lives of impoverished families during the Ramadan will enter into a new bigger phase that will tap the services of some 100 volunteers comprising a mix of young people and more experienced senior professionals.
Fatima Sultan Al Kuwari, Qtel’s Public Relations Director, said the success of Refaq especially on its big impact to the beneficiaries has prompted top Qtel officials to make the programme a permanent Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.
Qtel has earmarked QR2m for the comprehensive Refaq programme considering that rebuilding the homes initiative is among the most extensive CSR initiative ever undertaken.
To make a fresh start with significance, the pool of volunteers has already started doing their tasks after the Eid with a major facelift to ten highly-dilapidated homes which are part of those listed as 60 beneficiaries during the Ramadan campaign.
Al Kuwari said the Refaq would now become a year-round CSR activity and they are looking at a further study to provide other basic needs of the beneficiaries like a computer for the homes that will help a lot to improve the studies of the children.
She said the Refaq programme improved the lives of the beneficiaries and the young volunteers themselves, who learned new skills and changed their perspectives in life.
Most of those who joined Refaq on Ramadan were young girls from well-off families who for the first time of their lives did manual labour in refurbishing the homes of the impoverished families.
Before they would be sent to their charitable work, the young volunteers have to undergo some basic courses on project management and handling a budget apart from what they would learn from their older experienced colleagues.
Al Kuwari clarified the studies and work of the volunteers will not be disrupted because they will start their tasks after school and office hours and regularly meet on weekends. The volunteers have also developed close personal bonds and shared life’s experiences with the beneficiaries which made the Refaq programme more significant.
The Peninsula
