To recognise the true meaning of Ramadan, a number of volunteers from Qatar’s leading educational non-profit organisation Reach Out To Asia (ROTA), are observing the Holy Month by participating in several special Community Iftar events in Doha.

ROTA’s volunteers were recently joined by the Qatar Municipality team at the ROTA Municipality Workers Iftar at the Hamad Bin Khalifa University Student Center. Together both teams actively participated in the event as the workers enjoyed a spread of delicacies for the Iftar, received gifts, and enjoyed an exciting evening of entertainment.

ROTA’s volunteers also hosted a special Iftar at the Residential Care Compound- a care facility for patients with psychiatric conditions. The Iftar was attended by a number of residents with the aim of promoting solidarity and brotherhood during the Holy Month reiterating the importance of giving back to the community.

A ROTA Community Iftar is an excellent way to engage with members of our society during the Holy Month. We encourage all our local community to share Ramadan’s spirit of kindness, forgiveness and mercy with friends and neighbours of all faiths. Our initiative to hosting these Iftars is one of many ROTA Ramadan activities and reiterates our focus on reaching out to all members of the community,” says National Program Director at ROTA, Mr. Mohamed Al Saleh.

The series of Iftars held this month highlights the importance of the spirit of volunteerism and the satisfaction felt by helping others. I would like to truly thank our ROTA volunteers and our sponsors OXY Qatar for supporting ROTA initiatives throughout the past years and in this case reflecting the spirit of Ramadan in the best way possible.” said George Tavola. ROTA’S Volunteer Program Manager

Steve Kelly, OXY Qatar ‘s General Manager also commented by saying: “We are delighted to support all of ROTA’s Ramadan 2014 initiatives during this special time of year. Throughout both community iftars, we had a number of our own volunteers lending help and spreading the warmth and love to the less fortunate. We appreciate all their hard work and positive attitude and we look forward for upcoming projects with ROTA. It has been an absolute pleasure working with ROTA’s team.

Speaking to one of the workers at the Municipality Iftar, he said:

I’ve been in Qatar for four years now and this is the first time I ‘ve ever been invited to an iftar anywhere. This was a truly exceptional evening and I would like to thank ROTA for appreciating our hard work, it was a very emotional night to all of us.

Abdul Rahman Ibrahim , one of ROTA’s dedicated volunteers was very touched at the Municipality Workers Iftar, and stated the following:

It was really nice to have the Municipality workers come together and see their happy faces all at once and getting appreciated for all the work they do for the society. It was a very special evening for me and for all the ROTA volunteers that took part. I’m truly blessed and honored to be a volunteer with ROTA and to be able to give back to the community.

Designed to boost ROTA’s community initiatives, the Ramadan Campaign ‘Sharing Blessings’ also includes Garangao celebrations with hospitalised children, a full school renovation of the Bangladesh school in Abu Hamour, as well as other special Iftar meals with community-based institutions. Within the scope of the project, Reach Out To Asia’s volunteers have already packed and distributed groceries to over 200 families in need.

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