The student-led initiative sees the QF ecosystem come together to provide activities, mental health support, and comfort in a time of need

Volunteers from across the Qatar Foundation community are supporting Afghan refugees who are currently housed and cared for in Doha following their evacuation from their home country.

A student-led volunteering initiative by Qatar Foundation in the wake of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan – which sees Qatar become a temporary home for thousands of Afghans – is providing activities for families and children as well as mental health support as they wait to begin the next phase of their lives.

Supporting the refugees

Over the past few weeks, Qatar Foundation students and other volunteers, as well as teams from many of its entities, have been supporting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at compounds in Doha where refugees are currently staying following their evacuation from Afghanistan.

Qatar Foundation Volunteers 3According to QF Community Development Outreach and Institutional Advancement Division Executive Director Mohammed Fakhroo, the QF community has a civic duty to do whatever it can to help those who are experiencing trauma, upheaval and uncertainty, and for whom Qatar has provided a place of safety.

He said that their actions and the actions of the QF entities reflect how Qatar is standing in solidarity alongside the Afghan refugees.

Through our student-led volunteering initiative, which is part of a country-level effort to support these refugees, we are looking to play our part in showing that they are not alone and that humanity stands with them.

The aim, he said, is to try to bring a sense of normalcy to the lives of the refugees and to show them that the world is aware of their plight, cares about them, and wants to help them. The actions of young people from Qatar Foundation who continue to give their time to help these refugees reflects the global citizenship and sense of service that QF looks to instil in students, he added.

Donation point and more intervention

As well as setting up a donation point at Education City where QF community members can donate clothes, toys and other urgently-needed items for Afghan refugees, QF alumni who are now specialising in the field of mental health have also met with children at the compounds to evaluate their mental condition and offer any support they may require.

Child psychologists from The Learning Center under the QF Pre-University Education, have organised activities for refugees, with Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar, hosting art therapy and crafts sessions for children and young people. They also offer music and dance activities, organised under Qatar Foundation.

Meanwhile, students and other volunteers from across the QF ecosystem spend time talking with refugees about their experiences before and since Afghanistan came under Taliban rule, providing them with comfort and support during an uncertain time.

The QF volunteering initiative is continuing on a daily basis with more activities and support pathways planned for the refugees. Interested to volunteer? Visit qf.org.qa for details.  


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