Reach Out To Asia Announces First Community Impact
PILOT PROJECT LAUNCHED WITH HSBC
The Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) Volunteer Program has hit the headlines many times in the past few months with reports of its international activities in neighboring Asian countries. Now the Qatar-based NGO is to begin a volunteer activity program closer to home, with the first of its Community Impact Days scheduled for Saturday, 4th August, at Rumaillah Hospital.
Up to 80 volunteers are to spend a day at the hospital's Psychiatric Department, where they will brighten up the surroundings of the in-patient area by painting, decorating and gardening. The unit is home to some 60 long-term and acute patients.
HSBC, who have partnered with ROTA for this specific project, will provide 50 of the volunteers from their local staff. They also assisted in obtaining donations for the paint with the kind support of Darwish Trading Company and Berger Paints.
"HSBC is serious about making a difference in the community," said Robert DeGama, Deputy CEO and Chairperson of the Corporate Responsibility program at HSBC. "Our joint effort with Reach Out To Asia is one of the projects that we are very excited about. The event on 4th August will greatly and positively impact the lives of the residents of the Psychiatric Hospital and we are extremely proud to be part of this."
ROTA spokesperson, Mr David Burton, Volunteer Program Manager, said that projects such as this provided an opportunity to give back something to the local community and, at the same time, foster a spirit of volunteerism. "Typically, we find that volunteers who engage in projects such as this not only acquire new skills and meet new friends, but build self-esteem and self-confidence. They come away feeling that they can make a positive contribution within their own community, and this often encourages them to offer their skills further a field."
The ongoing ROTA Community Impact program will feature bi-monthly projects throughout Qatar, each with its own theme and objective. Plans are being developed for environmental themes such as beach and desert clean-ups; social interaction days where volunteers will work within orphanages or with the handicapped and elderly; health and safety themes such as road safety; and educational projects such as book collections, school and learning center renovation.
