Following a series of financial agreements signed between Qatar Charity and the Yemeni Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation last May, the organization is now set to begin its social and humanitarian work.
Qatar Charity already pledge $1.4 million which will be use to finance the construction of an orphanage, support a medical program specialized in medical operations and the rehabilitation of some 130 homes in the city of Zinjibar (regional capital of the southern province of Abyan) which were destroyed during clashed with al-Qaeda in 2012.
Qatar Charity will work with al-Islah Charitable Society in Yemen to coordinate and overview all repairs in Zinjibar in agreement with the Yemeni government. The program is expected to last six months.
Al-Rafqaa Charitable Society will be in charge of the orphanage project with allocated funds amounting $238,000 for an 18 months time frame.
As for Qatar Charity's medical program, Hamad Medical Corp and Qatar al-Ahli Hospital will in partnership perform a planned 55 therapeutic catheterization procedures and open-heart operations.
Speaking to al-Shorfa, Abyan Deputy Governor Ahmed al-Rahwi already hailed Qatar Charity's efforts in Yemen, noting, ""It is an act that ought to be emulated by many countries, especially after the war and the suffering experienced by the people of Abyan, who were displaced from their homes for a year and a half."
Several Yemeni officials have joined Deputy Governor, al-Rahwi in their appreciation of Qatar's humanitarian work in Yemen. "Qatar Charity's contributions to the health sector are welcome, as they help Yemenis and alleviate the cost of medical treatment abroad which amount to up to $900 million a year," Ministry of Public Health undersecretary Ghazi Ismail told reporters on the matter.
With 40% of Yemen's population living under the poverty threshold, the nation has had to rely on the international community to get by, looking to its foreign partners to find its political and economic footing again.