Reach Out To Asia (Rota) has inaugurated the International Education and Resource Network in Qatar for 2016 (iEARN-Qatar). The programme kicked off with an open house event on Thursday, and brought together 327 students from around the country, along with 65 teachers, to showcase 43 projects.
Hosted at Qatar University (QU), the event was held under the patronage of Qatar Chemical and Petrochemical Marketing and Distribution Company (Muntajat) in partnership with the National Centre for Educational Development (NCED).
Essa al-Mannai, executive director, Rota, said: “Building human capacity and empowering youth through education is an integral part of promoting community development. We believe that by equipping youth with the necessary skills they will have more confidence in shaping their future.”
Dr Abdullah Abu-Tineh, director, NECD, said: “Each year, iEARN-Qatar provides students with a platform to showcase their special projects. The event reflects our collective commitment to moving beyond traditional education methods to project-based learning, enabling students to play an active role in the learning process.”
This year’s open house saw an increase in the number of projects exhibited and schools that participated, demonstrating the success of the partnership between Rota, NECD and Muntajat. 
Abdulrahman Ali al-Abdulla, CEO, Muntajat, said: “We are fully committed to promoting social responsibility through our sponsorship of development and educational initiatives, particularly programmes which promote youth empowerment and capacity 
building.”
Made up of over 50,000 schools and youth organisations in more than 140 countries, iEARN is a non-profit organisation that works to empower young people to undertake projects designed to make a meaningful contribution to the welfare of the wider community.
The programme encourages cultural exchange between participants from member states, from kindergarten through secondary grade, via a virtual network that connects teachers and students worldwide. 
Rota, a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), became the official representative of iEARN-Qatar in 2008.