Doha: Princess Sophie, Countess of Wessex, yesterday visited Mada (Qatar Assistive Technology Center) and saw the latest technology available to people with disabilities in Qatar.
Minister of Information and Communications Technology H E Dr Hessa Sultan Al Jaber, who played a key role in establishing Mada, welcomed her. She said: “The ministry founded Mada as an initiative to promote digital inclusiveness for people with disabilities through empowering assistive technologies.”
Bader Al Hamimi, Acting CEO, Mada, said, “Whether accessing education or the workplace, one of the biggest barriers facing people with disabilities 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 in Qatar, people with disabilities will be able to work, attend class, or connect with peers from around the world.”
The princess’s visit is part of a four-day trip to Qatar with blindness prevention charity Orbis UK to mark World Sight Day tomorrow. She is committed to promoting work and needs of organisations that focus on helping and improving opportunities for children and young people with sensory, learning and communications disabilities.
Princess Sophie also visited Qatar Charity (QC) to mark the launch of ‘These Hands’: A campaign to raise $1m (QR4,077,138) to reduce childhood blindness in Bangladesh. The campaign has been developed in partnership with Orbis UK. Orbis has been running blindness prevention services in Bangladesh for over 15 years as blindness is a major public health issue in the country and will implement the project. QC will promote the campaign and administer donations.
There are 7.4 million people in Bangladesh who are blind or visually impaired, including 1.4 million children. Cataract is the most common cause of blindness there: Around 5,000 children are diagnosed each year. Donations through ‘These Hands’ will enable Orbis to train 25 cataract surgeons, 28 ophthalmologists, 70 ophthalmic personnel and 400 frontline health workers and set up six community-based Vision Centres and 100 out-reach camps The project aims to examine over two million patients and help thousands get sight back through 50,000 surgeries.
Florence Branchu, Head of Partnerships Middle East, Orbis UK, said, “We are delighted to be partnering with QC on this urgent fundraiser which will 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, text ‘eye’ and then 92133 for QR25, 92632 for QR50 or 92642 for QR100 and save a child’s sight!”
Youssef bin Ahmed Al Kuwairi, CEO, QC, said, “QC is honoured to implement the 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 organisations to implement distinguished projects and programmes worldwide.
“QC is also interested in the 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.” The launch follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Orbis and QC in March. The Peninsula
