Projects

In early 2021, Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) and the Digital Citizen Fund (DCF) signed a grant agreement to finance vocational training and educational scholarships for women and girls in Afghanistan.  The members of an all-female Afghan robotics team under the sponsorship of DCF, have evacuated from Afghanistan to Qatar and will continue their education through educational scholarships, jointly funded by QFFD and Qatar Foundation to study at Qatar Foundation’s Education City. The scholarships will provide high-quality technical training to ensure the development of employable skills, particularly related to information technology, engineering and robotics; finance and business administration; and entrepreneurship. The Afghan Dreamers will be supported in continuing their high-school studies and preparing for and completing higher education degrees. They will also have the opportunity to continue advancing their robotics skills through the facilities and expertise available at QF member Hamad Bin Khalifa University, and QF partner universities, Texas A&M University at Qatar and Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar

In December 2019, Qatar Fund for Development and the Dutch non-governmental organization SPARK, signed a memorandum of understanding to join efforts in supporting and empowering Syrian refugees in host communities through the development of entrepreneurship and sustainable job opportunities. The SPARK economic empowerment programme aims to improve employment and income-generation opportunities for Syrian refugees in the region, particularly for women and youth. The program provides vocational and entrepreneurship training and has resulted in the creation of 4,380 jobs for Syrian refugee women to date.

Qatar Fund for Development, Silatech and Kaah Islamic Microfinance Services (KIMS) signed a 2-year agreement in March 2018, to support the economic empowerment of women and youth in Somalia by providing them with access to microfinance. QFFD has contributed $1 million USD to expand the KIMS loan portfolio to include an additional 10,000 women and youth, as well as providing technical assistance services. The project targets job creation, women and youth empowerment and poverty alleviation.