QRC's Technical Team Visits Philippines

Doha, June 10 (QNA) - Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) has sent a technical team to the Philippines to assess the technical and engineering designs for the shelter projects to be implemented within the early recovery phase, which mediates between the two phases of relief and business development after the disaster. This came within efforts made by the Qatar Relief Alliance of Charitable Societies for relief projects in Somalia and the Philippines so as to boost the international efforts to help those affected by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. QRC is implementing the Qatari humanitarian intervention programme in the Philippines and fundraising campaign under the authorization of the Alliance and in the light of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the QRC with its Philippine counterpart last March. QRC's team paid an inspection visit to the sites of some shelter projects that have already been constructed in the Island of Tacloban, Filipina, before returning to Manila to study the proposed technical files from the potential partners in the implementation of projects in terms of cost , engineering specifications , standards of safety . According to the initial plan, it is expected to build a number of residential buildings including 2,000 homes at cost of $ 5.4 million. About 10,000 persons will benefit from these projects. QRC Secretary-General Saleh bin Ali Al Mohannadi described results of the visit as "positive", saying that the visit's objective is to exploit the available resources and to ensure the quality, efficiency and speed in implementation, through a strategy based on creating partnerships with humanitarian organizations working in the field, topped by Philippine National Society ,which had official partnership with Qatari Red Crescent . For her part, Dr. Gwendolyn Pang, Secretary-General of Philippine Society praised support provided by the QRC for reconstruction of areas damaged by severe tropical storm washi 2012, to build 25 housing units in Mindanao , expressing appreciation of Qatar's support for the victims of the hurricane hit the country in 2013.(QNA)