6th October 2015, Tuesday - Day 2 of HRH's visit to Qatar
In the morning HRH The Countess of Wessex has called upon HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister of Qatar - Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani. HRH has greeted PM on the occasion of her visit to the country. During the meeting The Countess discussed the issue of avoidable blindness. Pic & tiny info at Qatar News Agency, click here.
Later, The Countess visited Qatar Charity headquarters in Doha in her capacity as Global Ambassador of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. HRH's visit marked the launch of 'These Hands' - campaign to raise $1m (4,077,138 QAR) to reduce childhood blindness in Bangladesh.
Qatar Charity is a leading Gulf-origin nongovernmental organization dedicated to carrying out humanitarian and development programs to fight global poverty by working in partnership with vulnerable communities regardless of faith, race, gender or political beliefs. Qatar Charity enables people to survive, recover and rebuild their lives while also empowering them to become self-sufficient through practical knowledge, focused expertise and innovative solutions.
‘These Hands’ has been developed in partnership with blindness prevention charity Orbis UK. Orbis will implement the project and has operated blindness prevention services in Bangladesh for over 15 years, where blindness is a major public health issue. Qatar Charity will promote the campaign and administer all donations.
There are 7.4 million people in Bangladesh who are blind or visually impaired, of which 1.4 million are children. Cataract is the most common cause of blindness there: around 5,000 children are diagnosed each year. Cataract is easily treated with surgery, yet rural areas of Bangladesh are hard to reach and communities can find it extremely hard to access the right treatment. In addition, there aren’t enough experienced surgeons to perform the surgery, which makes the situation worse.
Florence Branchu, Head of Partnerships Middle East, Orbis UK said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Qatar Charity on this urgent fundraising campaign which will literally transform the lives of thousands of children in Bangladesh. We are looking forward to the people of Qatar getting behind the campaign. It’s easy to get involved, simply text ‘eye’ and then 92133 for QR 25, 92632 for QR 50 or 92642 for QR 100 and save a child’s sight!”
Mr. Youssef Bin Ahmed Al Kuwairi, CEO of Qatar Charity Said: “QC is honoured to implement this campaign with Orbis UK which has a long experience in fighting blindness. Such partnership demonstrates QC’s wish to reinforce cooperation, coordination and partnership with international humanitarian organizations to implement distinguished projects and programs worldwide. QC is also interested in this project because it cares about children and their health, and because it has a field office in Dhaka. We hope this is only the beginning of a bigger future cooperation between us and Orbis.”
Picture of HRH's visit from 2013 via ORBIS UK, shared under a creative commons license.
HRH previously visited Qatar with Orbis in 2013, on-board its unique Flying Eye Hospital - a fully equipped ophthalmic training facility with wings - when she met with senior figures to discuss avoidable blindness. Since 1982 Orbis has trained over 325,000 doctors, nurses, anaesthetists and other eye care professionals and performed over 23.3 million treatments in areas most at need.
Afterwards HRH attended QBBF luncheon, during which The Countess was a guest speaker. In her speech HRH highlighted the role of Corporate philanthropy, 'as more than an afterthought, but as being part of a core mission in QBBF efforts to grow business, engage employees and connect with customers'.
After QBBF website: "Over the years Her Royal Highness has drawn much attention to eradicating avoidable blindness, through her visits to the region, and has helped drive the plans forward through working closely with the organisations, and many youth and community events".
The Countess of Wessex, then spent afternoon sampling the latest technology available to people with disabilities in Qatar, during a visit to Mada (Qatar Assistive Technology Center). Mada is a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting people with disabilities to the world of information and communication technology. Mada was established by the Supreme Council for Information and Communication Technology in June 2010 as a public private partnership with Qtel, Vodafone Qatar, Qatar National Bank, and Microsoft. You will learn more here.
H.E. Dr. Hessa Al-Jaber, Minister of Information and Communications Technology - who played the vital role in establishing MADA - welcomed HRH to the Center. During the visit Dr. Al Jaber said, “The Ministry founded Mada as an initiative to promote digital inclusiveness in the country for people with disabilities through empowering assistive technologies.”
MADA officials added, “Whether accessing education or the workplace, one of the biggest barriers facing disabled people is a lack of AT specialist support. Mada offers assessments, advice and training in AT for everyone. By placing assistive technologies in classrooms, workplaces, and homes throughout Qatar, people with disabilities will be able to work, attend class, or connect with peers from around the world.
During her visit HRH spoke to a number of people who use Mada’s services and experienced for herself the vial difference that assistive technologies can make to people with disabilities.
HRH has met Dr Hessay Al Jabber Minister of Information Qatar and came face-to-face with robotic technology of Mada (QATC), that is used to connect disabled people with ICT. The robot in the picture was designed to help children with autism and other spectrum conditions.
In the evening, Her Royal Highness as Global Ambassador of International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, attended a Dinner for Orbis and Seeing is Believing on board of yacht Shamekh.
courtesy of Camilla Tominey Twitter feed: 'On a boat in #Qatar with the #CountessofWessex #ahoy #sophie #royal'
Sunday Express Royal Editor &NBC Royal expert Camilla Tominey is with HRH at Qatar, and there is already an exclusive article at Express website. In Camilla's article you will learn more about HRH's speech during QBBF luncheon, also you will see a video of HRH meeting with a robot.
Evening outfit & jewellery: Mango, Blue Satin Edge Blouse, worn before. Emilia Wickstead trousers from 2011 collection, worn before. It's part of a pantsuit worn by The Countess. Most likely Pomegranate London Chalcedony 3 Drop Earrings.
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