Rota Executive Director Essa Al Mannai (Far right), and other officials during the Reflection Event at Qatar Foundation’s Recreation Centre.
Doha: Reach Out To Asia (Rota), Qatar’s leading non-profit organisation, held a Reflection Event at Qatar Foundation’s Recreation Centre recently for adult professional volunteers who participated in a recent volunteer trip to Nepal to acknowledge their efforts and reflect on their experiences during the trip.
Eighteen professionals from Qatar Foundation, Vodafone Qatar and elsewhere, took part in the event which showcased video and photos from the 10-day Rota-organised trip to Nepal from 19 to 28 September. Volunteers shared their individual experiences and lessons learned describing how the trip increased their interest in offering and giving, and helped them better understand the challenges that students face in rural communities in Nepal.
Congratulating the volunteers, Rota Executive Director Essa Al Mannai said: “I would like to thank you for playing a role in fulfilling our goal of ‘education for all’. The impact that you have left on the local students in Nepal will be felt for many years to come. Through trips to Pakistan, Nepal, Indonesia and Cambodia, Rota has created a movement of volunteers and responsible global citizens within Qatar who make a positive impact on the lives of hundreds of communities across Asia.”
With the generous financial assistance from Vodafone Qatar and in partnership with in-country partner, Action Aid International, Rota also provided a computer lab for the school in which students and teachers were taught by volunteers’ ways to utilise ICT for Education. During the Trip, volunteers facilitated 5 hours of classes at the “Moti” Secondary School in Tikapur for 5 days for students in subjects such as Social Studies, English Language, Cultural Exchange, Environmental Awareness and Sport.
“Spending a week at the school and seeing the humble conditions that the teachers have to teach in and the students learn in definitely opened my perspective,” Rota volunteer Ghalia Farzat said.
“No matter what you prepare beforehand, until you get to the school, you then realise what is needed especially when there are so many kids. What their educational levels are and what is needed to help them,” she added.
“Rota thanks the volunteers who continue to give their time, talent and skills, often in difficult circumstances, to promote education and development in Qatar and abroad. They are an inspiration to us all,” said Essa Al Mannai. At the Reflection Event, volunteers expressed their sincere gratitude to Rota for organising such a life-changing experience for all involved. Executive Director Essa Al Mannai, encouraged them all to maintain their interest in volunteering and get involved in local community-based Rota initiatives.
“Rota staff did a wonderful job preparing us before we went. A lot of work goes into planning to make sure to meet the needs of the children at the school, the volunteers going and all the other people involved to make the trip a success” said Fahad Al Saiari, a Vodafone Qatar volunteer.
For more information about Reach Out To Asia’s projects in Nepal and 10 other Asian countries, visit www.reachouttoasia.org or the Rota Facebook page, www.facebook.com/reachouttoasiaThe Peninsula
