By Joey Aguilar/Staff Reporter

Reach Out to Asia (Rota)’s eighth annual Ramadan project will gather a mix of students, youths and corporate volunteers who want to share their time with less fortunate families through community service.

Rota is hoping that various families will also participate, bridging a generation gap and making the project a special kind of activity.

“The good thing about Ramadan is that it invites volunteers of all ages and all backgrounds,” said George Tavola, volunteer programme manager at Rota, at a press conference yesterday.

Rota has at least 1,000 volunteers in its database but he admitted that only half were actively engaged in various
activities such as food distribution, visiting sick children in hospitals and doing building renovations.

Tavola said they see a change of faces from year to year as well as beneficiaries, a reason to regularly increase the number of volunteers.

He also pointed out that they rely heavily on their partners in determining the right beneficiaries.  “Our partners have the mandate to gauge household income and determine families that are actually in need,”
he noted.

Rota also works closely with the Social Development Centre and Qatar Foundation’s Facilities Management Directorate to benefit from the institutions’ unique expertise and to maximise Rota’s local reach and the impact of the Ramadan 2014 Project.

While Rota has chosen to renovate Bangladesh MHM School in Abu Hamour, it also looks to create relationship with new schools in Qatar.

Asked if they plan to expand their activities beyond renovating houses and schools, Tavola stressed that they have been donating computers and setting up computer labs to improve the use of information and communication technology as a tool for education.

“I guess that is not related to the Ramadan project but there are various initiatives undertaken by Rota to support schools to improve access to education,” he said.

Rota will also hold community Iftars, visit children in hospitals for the Garangao and distribute food packages for the 200 families in need

It is also expected to launch two new initiatives: Iftar for street cleaners and for 120 labourers of Doha Municipality, which will be held in Education City.