Some 350 trainees from several Arab countries have completed Qatar Red Crescent’s (QRCS) seventh Disaster Management Camp (DMC) at the Marine Scout Camp in Al Khor.
Organised under the patronage of HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani and sponsored by the Social and Sport Contribution Fund, the camp aims to evaluate the preparedness and responsiveness of QRCS and other involved organisations.
In his speech, QRCS president Dr Mohamed bin Ghanem al-Ali al-Maadheed congratulated the trainees saying they were in touch with the underlying principles of our humanitarian work over the past few days.
“Every one of you has a duty of educating society about all the knowledge that you have gained. Our message is centred around improving the lives of vulnerable people and alleviating their suffering,” he noted.
“One day, when you are in the field, you will feel the value of what you have learnt. As in medicine, humanitarian action involves treatment, rehabilitation, and prevention,” Dr al-Maadheed added. “It is not enough to respond, you need to be proactive and ready for challenges and this is possible only with training and education.”
After 10 days of practical training, the participants enacted a disaster scenario that killed 3,000 victims, destroyed infrastructure and thousands of houses, and displaced nearly 120,000 people at an area already hosting internally displaced people.
“The strong government support added a regional and international dimension to this event. The active participation by National Societies and non-governmental organisations helped make it such a distinctive success,” DMC manager Rashid Saad al-Mohannadi said.
DMC-7 was supported by several organisations and authorities, including the Ministry of Interior, the Permanent Committee for Emergency, Qatar Armed Forces, Lekhwiya, Fazaa, Doha Bank, General Directorate of Endowments, Ooredoo, Hamad Medical Corporation, Civil Defense, Qatar Scout and Guide Association, Doha Golf Club, Community Police, and Al Khor Sports Club.