Ramadan is a time for contemplation and spending time with family and friends. It is also a time to focus on giving back to the community through charitable efforts.

That spirit of charity has seen the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC)’s Volunteer Programme play an active role by partnering with Qatar Charity to support several key projects.

During Ramadan, Muslims all over the world abstain from all food and drink during daylight hours. The day of fasting begins with an early morning meal before dawn and ends at sunset. Muslims break their fast with a dinner known as Iftar. To ensure those that observe Ramadan are able to break their fast, SC volunteers have been providing basic Iftar meals as part of Qatar Charity’s Jawal Iftar Programme that aims to enhance the value of solidarity among various segments of society.

A team of 25 volunteers have been based at several locations around Doha, as well as Al Wakrah and Al Khor, to distribute Iftar meals at traffic lights to busy commuters driving home from work before sunset prayer.

Outside of Qatar’s urban centres, a further 120 volunteers have been lending their assistance to Iftar distribution by providing ready-made meals to workers in labour camps and farms. This initiative has seen volunteers visit 40 different locations across the country, including the Industrial Area and Ruwais Marina.

“I like to serve people,” said volunteer Abdul Malik. “I got this opportunity from Qatar Charity and I’m honoured to be able to contribute. Volunteering during Ramadan is a very good deed.”

Like the rest of the world, Qatar has been in the process of vaccinating its population from COVID-19. Since March 2020, that fight against the pandemic has seen more than 35,000 volunteers step up to support the Ministry of Public Health’s ‘For the Sake of Qatar’ campaign. This includes 100 SC volunteers who have been assisting the country’s vaccination roll-out at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC).

Volunteer Samah Abuisneenah explained why supporting the fight against COVID-19 was important to her. “We all want the same thing – we want life to get back to normal, and by joining the QNCC volunteer team, I was able to take part in making that happen. I was able to help move the process one step forward to overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic.”

A sense of purpose and enjoyment are common themes that people take away from their experiences as volunteers. Abdelhakim Mohamed underlined the inspirational emotions he feels.

“Volunteering is a social service that supports the country and I like to be a part of any success in any event in the country, whether it's a social or sporting event,” Mohamed said. “It is worth mentioning that volunteering is a main part of the success of any event and the respect which we get as volunteers always encourages me to give more.”

Rasha Al Qarni, the SC’s Human Resources Executive Director, said: “Partnering with Qatar Charity allows the SC and our volunteers to make an important contribution during the Holy Month of Ramadan. This is a time for strengthening ties with the community and volunteering provides a great example of building those bonds, especially after such a challenging year.”