Qatar Charity was registered as an organization at the NGO Secretariat and also gazetted by the State Ministry of Internal Security, Home affairs and Disaster Management under the Ministry of Defense. It is said to have provided financial assistance to ‘Save the Pearl’, another organization operating in Sri Lanka.
CID recently told Court that the Qatar Charity is a banned organization in the United Arab Emirates. However, the lawyers representing Hejaaz Hizbullah, had told the Court that it was an organization recognized by the Sri Lankan government.
Investigations revealed that the Sri Lanka branch of the organization was registered with the National Secretariat for Non-Governmental Organizations under number FL162614.
Its office is still operational in Sri Lanka. According to Qatari sources, the Qatar Charity has been instrumental in providing dry rations to Sri Lankans in Qatar during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
The organization that also has implemented a number of projects in Sri Lanka has worked closely with the Sri Lankan government.
Several projects have been done in Sri Lanka as well
The reports on several projects confirm the involvement of Qatar Charity with the approval of the Sri Lanka government.
Current MP & the Chairman of DDC Mannar and Mulativu, Kader Masthan (former Minister of Urban Planning and Water Supply), current Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa (former Minister of Housing) and many other officials including then Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Qatar Rashid Bin Shafi Al Mari were present at the opening ceremony Qatar Charity branch in Sri Lanka.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Premadasa said that he was pleased with the introduction of Qatar Charity to Sri Lanka and that steps would be taken to establish a separate unit in the Ministry of Housing to coordinate with the relevant agency on housing issues.
Participating in the event, the then Ambassador of Qatar to Sri Lanka, Faisal Rashid Al Fayeda, introduced the humanitarian mission of the Qatar Charity. He said the agency encourages communities at risk to achieve sustainable development goals around the world. The Ambassador said that the Qatar Charity launched its humanitarian intervention in Sri Lanka in 1993 and by 2018, it has implemented projects and programs in Sri Lanka at a cost of over 14 million Qatari Riyals.
He added that at the time, the Qatar Charity had sponsored more than 1,000 people, most of them orphans. It launched four multi-service centers in 2018 to provide housing to people displaced by the 30-year war in Sri Lanka, and another in 2019.
The company has implemented housing projects in Batticaloa – Oddamavadi, Trincomalee – Kinniya, Polonnaruwa – Athugala and Batticaloa – Eravur.
(Photo Caption) The Athugala Housing Project was opened on March 4, 2018, the Oddamavadi and Eravur Housing Project on March 17, 2018 and the Kinniya HousingProject on March 18. Government ministers and officials at the time were present to inaugurate each of these projects.
Each center consisted of 22 houses (community housing units), a health center, a preschool, a place of worship, a well and four shops. According to the Gulf Times website, the construction of these centers has cost four million Qatari riyals.
Has worked with the Embassy of Qatar
The embassy had on that occasion announced it had on several occasions assisted the Sri Lankan Embassy in Qatar in assisting Sri Lankans living in Qatar. A statement issued by the Sri Lankan Embassy in Doha on April 12 stated that the organization had handed over 300 parcels of dry food to the Sri Lankan Embassy for distribution to those in need.
A statement issued by the embassy on June 20 stated that the Sri Lankan Embassy in collaboration with Qatar Charity, the Ministry of Interior and Foreign Affairs of Qatar and Sri Lankan organizations in Qatar had distributed 5,000 parcels of dry food.
More about the Qatar Charity
The Qatar Charity is an organization that has been providing assistance to the afflicted and poor community in various countries around the world since its inception in 1992. The organization provides humanitarian assistance to many countries around the world and works closely with governments in many countries.
It also works closely with a number of organizations, including the United Nations. The Qatar Charity has been working with the United Nations and international organizations since 1997 to carry out projects.
Over the past 22 years, the partnership has been enhanced by the signing of 77 cooperation agreements in a number of sectors, with a total value of over US $ 76 million. The organization is involved in humanitarian and development activities such as providing relief, resettlement of displaced persons, improving livelihoods, water, sanitation, supply, food, agriculture, food security, health, social welfare, and giving expert advice to those in need.
Many countries including Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan, Yemen, Nigeria, Syria, Palestine, Somalia and Bangladesh have benefited from the projects implemented under this partnership. The Qatar Charity has so far signed 32 cooperation and partnership agreements with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to finance humanitarian projects for IDPs and refugees.
Stay tuned for another article on the work done by the Qatar Charity and the reason for naming it a terrorist organization in Saudi Arabia.
Its projects In Sri Lanka
Kaduruwela Project
Eravur Project
Oddamawadi Project
Kinniya Project
Opening of its SL Office
