With Qatar’s star shining in
diplomatic circles, its
stature on the international stage rising and increasing focus on
sustainability, it is not surprising that
Qatar has a small but thriving corporate social responsibility (
CSR) community.
One Doha institution older than the newly independent country of Qatar itself is taking the lead.
QNB Group, which has offered conventional banking and Islamic finance services on this tiny peninsula for almost half a century, has been working with the under privileged in and beyond Qatar for over 10 years.
QNB partners with the
Qatar Foundation to provide financial assistance to families who struggle financing educational and health needs. The bank has long supported several charities, and has operated a rigorous employee volunteer program since 1999. The bank’s efforts are not relegated to Qatar; QNB has also worked with Qatar’s Red Crescent and Reach Out to Asia (ROTA) to help those affected by the devastating 2006 earthquake in Pakistan.
Now QNB has ramped up its efforts to work with people who have special needs. Partnering with the Ministry of Social Affairs, the bank’s support of “
enabling special needs through small projects” is an ambitious program of inclusion. Individuals receive life skills training that encourage independence, boost job skills, improve their standard of living and generate additional income sources. The program also reaches out to people of low income who have an interest in going beyond benefitting from this project and wish to continue to work with other individuals who need a hand up.
GreenGoPost.com will visit Qatar in early February and will bring you more inspiring stories from the Middle East.
