The Foundation Sheikh Thani Ibn Abdullah for Humanitarian Services (مؤسسة الشيخ ثاني بن عبد الله للخدمات الإنسانية), abbreviated as RAF (راف) is a
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
i foundation established by the
al-Thani
The House of Thani ( ar, الثاني , translit=Al Thani) is the ruling family of Qatar, with origins tracing back to the Banu Tamim tribal confederation.
History and structure
The Al Thanis can be traced back to Mudar bin Nizar. The tribe w ...
family.
The foundation provides humanitarian aid and contributes to social development of all sectors of the Qatari society without discrimination. RAF is also engaged in international projects in partnership with foundations that share the same goal.The Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah for Humanitarian Services Foundation (RAF) was founded in 1969 with the mission of 'connecting the world with mercy'. It offers worldwide aid and humanitarian help to everyone in need. It has projects in 97 countries around the world. Partners of the organization include the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, iheed institute,
the Carter Center
The Carter Center is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. He and his wife Rosalynn Carter partnered with Emory University just after his defeat in the 1980 United States presiden ...
, the Complex Program Group,
WFP
The World Food Programme; it, Programma alimentare mondiale; es, Programa Mundial de Alimentos; ar, برنامج الأغذية العالمي, translit=barnamaj al'aghdhiat alealami; russian: Всемирная продовольствен ...
,
WHO
Who or WHO may refer to:
* Who (pronoun), an interrogative or relative pronoun
* Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism
* World Health Organization
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Who, a creature in the Dr. Seuss book ''Horton Hear ...
,
UNHCR
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...
, and various other UN agencies and organizations. RAF is highly involved in education, health care, and medical assistance, and contributes to global initiatives to address people's fundamental needs worldwide.
Management
The foundation was founded by Thani bin Abdullah. Ayed bin Dabsan Al Qahtani is the current CEO.
Mission
According to its website, RAF aspires to reach levels of excellence as a humanitarian foundation, which participates in "establishing communities of mercy" in Qatar and throughout the world.
The foundation aims to support those who are most in need, and pursues five main goals:
* Consolidating humanitarian compassion;
* Achieving social solidarity;
* Providing relief to injured parties;
* Protecting human values;
* Developing and supporting charitable projects.
Activities
RAF’s initiatives are primarily focused on “Training and Development” and “Humanitarian Aid.” The RAF Center for Training and Civil Society Studies is a good example of the foundation’s synergic approach to both areas of action, in that it aims to provide specialized training in the field of humanitarian and charitable work. In fact, the foundation attempts to identify the needs of organizations, charities and workers in the field of humanitarian work, and to develop ad hoc training programs in order to enhance their performances.
RAF also designs and implements specialized projects to develop the educational and professional capacities of targeted social groups and to support their entry into the labor market.
The foundation organizes conferences, seminars and workshops on the subjects of humanitarian work and community service to evaluate and measure the impact of the gained experience, and establishes partnerships with institutions and experts in the field.
Moreover, RAF carries out extensive research in the field of humanitarian aid. The foundation closely monitors the development of the Qatari society, prepares studies on contemporary phenomena and social problems, and contributes to the dissemination of humanitarian culture and volunteerism among civil society through integrated social network information and publications.
Cooperation with UNHCR
RAF has made its first contribution to
UNHCR
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...
of USD 220,000 in 2016 to support vulnerable urban refugee families in Jordan. In 2017, RAF contributed some USD 2,535,000 to support vulnerable communities in Somalia, internally displaced Iraqis, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and Somali refugees in Ethiopia.
Given the new rules implemented by RACA in having only 4 Qatari organizations work with international organizations, in 2018, RAF channeled funds to UNHCR through QC of some USD 2.1 million for the provision of multipurpose cash assistance for internally displaced Iraqis.
RAF has helped around 320,000 refugees and internally displaced persons in the region and globally with a total financial support of some US$ 4 million.
Recent initiatives
RAF is especially active in the fields of education,
health care
Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...
and medical assistance, and supports international efforts to meet the basic needs of people throughout the world.
The foundation is preparing to implement a food bank in Qatar that is expected to benefit 1200 families on a monthly basis.
RAF has funded 157 charitable projects in Sudan, and has initiated the implementation of service complexes for several villages in Darfur within the framework of its “Darfur development program”.
With RAF financial support, the “RAF International University” was established in Kenya to provide modern university education and to serve the Muslim minorities in East Africa by reinforcing their presence in all productive and intellectual sectors. RAF also opened the largest mosque in the city of
Mannar Mannar may refer to the following places:
India
* Mannar, Alappuzha, a town in Chengannur Taluk, Kerala
Sri Lanka
* Mannar District, one of 25 districts in Sri Lanka
** Mannar Island, an island within the district
**Mannar Bridge, a bridge connect ...
, in northern
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. Another project in Sri Lanka, executed in July 2012, witnessed the establishment of a residential village with 200 houses at an estimated cost of QR 2.6 million.
Moreover, the foundation is planning to build a school in Kyrgyzstan and an educational complex in Mauritania.
RAF also carried out a work field study in Tunisia and submitted a plan to establish a package of projects that serve the country’s economic and social development.
In August 2012, RAF embarked on a project which would involve the expenditure of QR 27 million on medical infrastructure and housing in
Zaatari refugee camp
The Zaatari refugee camp () is a refugee camp in Jordan, located east of Mafraq, which has gradually evolved into a permanent settlement;Syrian Civil War. The foundation also raised $3.3 million in February 2015 from a radio program they organized with the aim funding housing developments for Syrian child refugees.
The first phase of the ''Save a Life Initiative'' (SALI) was initiated in November 2015. Aiming to provide free health services to people in developing countries, this phase witnessed the installation of numerous portable clinics in Sudan.
RAF has also been active in founding projects of an Islamic nature. RAF has stated its intention to print and distribute a million copies of the
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...
to distribute throughout Asia, Europe and Africa. RAF has already printed and distributed 505 thousand copies of the
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...
to 9 countries in Africa as well as other Asian and European countries. RAF also recently financed the construction of 30 mosques in
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
and an Islamic school in Sudan.
Achievements
According to the data available on the foundation's website, RAF has established 140 training programs involving 1836 trainees and organized two conferences and international meetings.
RAF acknowledges 150 institutions among its beneficiaries, including its partners, senior leadership institutions, charitable and humanitarian organizations and volunteers.