Volunteers say aid work is rewarding experience

FOR people who get fed up of the rat race and constant efforts to simply earn more and more money, there are a number of ways to ‘give back’ to those in need in Qatar.

Gulf Times has spoken to charity organisations as well as individual volunteers on ways of getting involved in financial, social and environmental voluntary work.One of the most popular methods of conducting voluntary work is through the online forum Qatar Living (QL). The website has a group called ‘Qatar Living Volunteers’ which is managed by member SPEED, who spoke about the types of activities with which his group has been involved.“I arrived in Qatar in 2007, and after conducting a number of activities to help people in need, such as the 600 labourers who were affected when the HBK camp was burnt down, I was asked whether I would lead the QL volunteers group,” he explained.“Of course I was happy to do this, and now have an active membership of around 230 people, which is increasing every day,” he added.SPEED explained that he and his members have been involved in a number of initiatives to collect funds, food and other necessities for people who have been affected by circumstances beyond their control.The group also gets involved with national and international drives to raise awareness in Qatar about certain issues, such as the ‘World Handwashing Day’ and the ‘World Donor Day,’ among others.QL volunteers have also been involved in environmental initiatives such as the beach clean-up that was reported in Gulf Times last month. SPEED said that he hopes this will become a regular event, taking place on the first Friday of every month.One member of the group explained that he offers his services in communication and public relations training for free at the weekends.A British expatriate said she would like to do more to work with disabled people. “However, I am new here, and so far I have found it quite difficult to get access to these people in Doha,” she added.Gulf Times spoke to the head of public relations for the Shafallah Centre, Hana el-Amedi, about volunteer activities.Individuals are allowed to visit the centre and fill out an application form, after which they can choose the areas of voluntary work they would like to be involved in, such as teaching, nursing, physical therapy or organising events.“We have volunteers of all ages and nationalities who come and work with the children,” she explained, adding that anyone interested in helping should check the centre’s website and then visit.The centre has also received help from a number of organisations: “Standard Chartered Bank have visited the centre with their staff in the past, and this is an initiative which will be carried on into the future,” said el-Amedi.Other organisations have been part of the charity and volunteer work scene for many years in Qatar, and groups such as the Indian Community Benevolent Fund and the Sri Lankan Benevolent Fund have grown in strength as the international community in Qatar has increased.A number of individuals too have made a major contribution, such as Indian expatriate Eugenia Dias who gave her time to preparing dead bodies at Hamad Medical Corporation’s morgue before they were flown home.Gulf Times recently carried a report about Dias, who has since left Qatar. Her story touched many, as she and her team had carried out this task since 1977 for no pay and very little recognition.And many others carry out similar altruistic acts on a daily basis, such as those who regularly travel to the deportation centre with donated items for the inmates, or others who visit the labour camps giving their time and goods to the needy workers.One such person explained that the immense gratitude shown by the labourers at receiving items that she considered everyday and basic “put things into perspective.” Everyone Gulf Times spoke to mentioned how rewarding this kind of work is, and it is encouraging to see just how many people are interested in giving something back to society here. In between the luxury hotels and opulent villas there are a wide variety of people who lack the bare essentials and who can benefit greatly through the voluntary work of others.There are numerous government organisations which carry out charity and voluntary work as well, and through their actions and those of other community members, needs are being met that may otherwise not have been addressed.