Four years on, beyond the scholarship program, what has Al Fakhoora delivered?

July 04, 2013

Al Fakhoora is delivering on its initial pledge of empowering youth and facilitating access to education in Gaza. Find out more inside!

In our effort to contribute to the rebuilding of education infrastructure in Gaza, over ten million dollars were pledged by Al Fakhoora and its funding partner, the Islamic Development Bank.  Al Fakhoora identified Qatar Red Crescent as its ideal implementing partner due to the organization’s impressive track record in delivering on projects in Gaza.

In June 2013, after much hard work, dedication and commitment from our partners on the ground and despite the many obstacles faced with the siege and essential building material  being prohibited from entering Gaza, all eight of the reconstruction projects have been completed and are being fully used by a wide variety of beneficiaries.

Press briefing Doha

On Wednesday 26^th June 2013, Al Fakhoora held a joint press briefing with QRC to announce the completion of eight of the projects, speakers included Mr. Farooq Burney – Director of Al Fakhoora Mr. Rashed Al Mohannadi – Director of Qatar Red Crescent, Al Khor Branch, Mr Shadi Saleh- Al Fakhoora Gaza representative and two of Al Fakhooras medical students in Gaza, Msallam Abu Khalil and Ihab Salih.

Opening ceremony Gaza

Early in June, QRC and Al Fakhoora representatives attended a series of inauguration ceremonies to celebrate the completion of eight of the thirteen projects which aimed to develop services  for the disabled and  rehabilitate higher education institutions. 

Project snapshots:

Establishing a rehabilitation department at Al Amal Hospital

The establishment of a medical rehabilitation department at Al Amal Hospital worth $ 540,000 centre will provide specialized rehabilitation services to people with disabilities and individuals residing in the Southern area of the Gaza Strip, which has a population of over 700,000 inhabitants who were deprived from such services before.

Annually, an additional 400 patients will directly benefit from the services whilst 2 500 students studying Rehabilitative disciplines will benefit from practical training opportunities at the centre.

“This project is the first of its kind in Southern Gaza strip and aims to help people who have experienced critical injuries or diseases which have resulted in temporary or permanent disability. We hope we can provide their lives with hope, dignity, independence, and advocating for their full inclusion in all aspects of community life” Dr. Wael Mekki, Manager of Al-Amal Hospital. 

Establishing of a specialized diabetic foot center at Al-Wafa Hospital

Al Wafa Hospital now boasts a specialized diabetic foot center including an in-patient department with six beds and two daily clinic units worth approximately 250,000 USD has been established.

The center provides direct medical services to over a thousand patients per year. Undetected and previously unregistered cases can be identified through the center’s early detection and early intervention services are estimated to support more than 27,000 cases. Consequently, thousands of avoidable amputations can now be prevented. Al Wafa hospital serves an area of approximately 1 million inhabitants and this specialized diabetic foot centre is the first of its kind in Gaza. 

“This project is considered as the first of its kind, not only in Gaza but also in Palestine. The percentage of disabilities which result from diabetes associated amputations is expected to decline by at least 20% due to the distinctive services provided at the center” Mr Saeb Al –Zaneen, Projects Manager at Al-Wafa Hospital.

Farooq Burney, Al Fakhoora Director, added

“Our mission has always been to facilitate access to education in Gaza, however, we took on numerous reconstruction projects to enhance support for our core business, and especially our flagship scholarship program as these(projects) would have had a direct impact on supporting education.  We are delighted to see them completed through our cooperation with partners such as QRC and we feel we have delivered on our pledge. Throughout our engagement with Palestinian youth, we have always been astounded by their drive and thirst to excel and achieve. We hope that our projects can empower their journey to further excellence.”