DOHA: The fifth Reach Out To Asia (Rota) Gala Dinner saw $21m raised for educational projects in needy countries in a charity auction last night.
The Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Father Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani as well as Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud of Saudi Arabia attended the biennial event at the palace of Sheikh Ali bin Abdulla Al Thani.
Twelve lots were sold at the auction, including seven pieces donated by celebrities and companies and five projects in Palestine, Nepal, Pakistan, Tunisia and Lebanon.
Among the seven donated pieces, the top lot was the horse ‘Njoud Al Shaqab’, whose father Marwan Al Shaqab is the most accomplished Arabian racehorse, having been a three-time world champion and two-time US national champion. The horse, along with a Hermes saddle, fetched $800,000.
Other items that went under the hammer included a black faceted necklace worn by Angelina Jolie at the premiere of her movie Salt in Germany, which was sold for $500,000, a Mini Paceman car designed by globally acclaimed artist Damien Hirst, which fetched $600,000, and a motorbike signed by champion Italian racer Giacomo Agostini, sold for $350,000.
A highlight of the event was the bestowing of Rota’s Lifetime Achievement Award on Prince Awaleed by Rota Chairperson H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, who lauded his generosity. The Saudi prince has donated more than 10 billion riyals to charities and projects around the world.
Accepting the award, Prince Alwaleed said that his strategic partnership with Qatar and its leadership, which was more than a decade old, was very strong, and lauded the milestones achieved by Qatar since the Father Emir’s accession to power in 1995, such as Qatar becoming the country with the highest GDP per capita.
Sheikha Al Mayassa underscored Rota’s commitment to bettering the lives of people in needy countries in Asia in terms of education “to guarantee better future for the children of today who will be the leaders of tomorrow.”
This is the first time Rota has auctioned projects in various countries, including “Bring Back Hope” for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, “Try” for young people in the West Bank in Lebanon, “What If” to help schools in Tunisia, “Give Them A Chance” to help educate young people in Nepal, and “You Can” to help schools in Pakistan.
On the auctioning of projects, Rota Executive Director Essa Al Mannai said: “We are always trying to be creative in every event that we do and we look into new ways to engage our guests in our events, and of course the new way is to let them see where the money is going, who are the beneficiaries and how it is going to change their lives, and we hope this is a good way to raise more funds.”
“What is unique this year is we even have projects companies can take ownership of. This is the highlight of this year’s auction, which we hope will not only raise awareness but also involve our donors. This is like a partnership between Rota and our donors and we hope through this year’s project the relationship will be stronger,” said Rota Board Member Sheikha Dr Aisha bint Faleh Al Thani.
Addressing the gathering of 450 guests, Minister of Energy and Industry H E Dr Mohammed bin Saleh bin Abdulla Al Sada lauded Rota’s work in helping thousands of people in countries where it operates by empowering communities, building capacities and providing education to children.
The gala dinner also featured performances by German violinist and recording artist David Garrett and renowned Yemeni artist Ahmed Fathi.
THE PENINSULA
