Al-Aqraboon Center, affiliated with Qatar Charity and established at the end of 2025, represents an institutional extension of decades of experience accumulated by Qatar Charity in social welfare and humanitarian assistance within the State of Qatar. However, this extension comes today in a more specialized and structured form, reflecting the evolution of social work from being a situational response to needs into an integrated system based on strategic planning, governance, transparency, innovation, and collaboration with relevant national stakeholders.
Through Al-Aqraboon Center, Qatar Charity seeks to elevate the quality of social services, enhance targeting efficiency, ensure equitable distribution, preserve beneficiaries’ dignity, and employ digital solutions and institutional partnerships to strengthen sustainability and deepen social impact.
In this interview, Mr. Faisal Al‑Fehaida, Head of Al-Aqraboon Center, opens a window onto the motivations behind the center’s establishment, the institutional transformation it represents, and its key achievements within a short period, particularly during humanitarian seasons. He also shares the center’s future vision of establishing Al-Aqraboon as a national reference within Qatar’s social welfare ecosystem.
Motivations Behind the Establishment
Al-Aqraboon Center represents an extension of Qatar Charity’s social welfare and assistance efforts within Qatar, but with a new identity. What were the reasons behind its establishment, and how do you see the center’s position and role within the social and humanitarian work system in Qatar?
The establishment of Al-Aqraboon Center came as an institutional advancement of Qatar Charity’s accumulated experience in social welfare within the country and at a time when community needs were expanding, requiring a more specialized and organized reference entity.
The center focuses on transforming assistance from a purely immediate response into a sustainable, impact-driven system through strategic planning, eligibility verification, enhanced transparency and governance, and the development of national partnerships.
Our role is to serve as a national reference that contributes to the integration of Qatar’s social and humanitarian work ecosystem while enhancing targeting efficiency and service quality, always respecting the dignity of beneficiaries.
Institutional Excellence
What distinguishes Al-Aqraboon Center from other organizations providing assistance in the country, whether in terms of intervention philosophy or the tools employed, such as the Smart Coupon system, the Al-Aqraboon application, and other innovative digital solutions?
What distinguishes Al-Aqraboon Center is its ability to combine a humanitarian approach with governance and digital innovation.
We do not provide assistance merely as a procedure but as part of an integrated system based on clear eligibility criteria, digital verification, documentation, and transparency, all of which improve targeting efficiency and preserve beneficiaries’ dignity.
We also integrate with official data platforms such as the “Sanad” platform to accelerate application assessments and reduce the burden on families. In addition, we employ flexible smart solutions such as shopping vouchers and digital tools that facilitate quicker and more accurate delivery of support to those who deserve it.
An Integrated System
Drawing on Qatar Charity’s accumulated experience, how have the mechanisms for providing assistance, sponsorships, and humanitarian projects evolved at Al-Aqraboon compared to earlier stages? What are the most significant transformations resulting from this institutional shift?
Qatar Charity’s experience in social welfare within the country spans many years, and Al-Aqraboon Center was established to translate this experience into a more specialized institutional model.
The most significant transformation has been the shift from traditional assistance management to an integrated system based on strategic planning, eligibility assessment and verification, governance, transparency, and impact measurement.
Between 2023 and 2025, social assistance within Qatar exceeded QAR 624 million, benefiting more than 300,000 individuals. With the launch of the center, we are working to further improve service quality and accelerate procedures through digital solutions and national partnerships, ensuring equitable targeting and sustainable impact.
We have also prepared the “Al-Aqraboon Center Social Assistance Guide,” a comprehensive reference manual considered the first and only guide of its kind in Qatar. It standardizes concepts, defines target groups and assistance categories, outlines eligibility criteria, regulates procedures and decision-making authorities, and reinforces privacy protections and the dignity of beneficiaries.
Ramadan: Mobilization and Engagement
Ramadan represents the peak season for social work. How would you describe the center’s experience during Ramadan 1447 AH? What were its key outcomes in terms of assistance volume, beneficiary reach, and social impact?
Last Ramadan (1447 AH) was a pivotal season for maximizing the impact of social welfare efforts. Our experience was highly intensive in terms of mobilization, engagement, and diversity of outreach channels.
In numerical terms, our target was QAR 100 million, and we successfully raised approximately QAR 95.7 million through the Al-Aqraboon Ramadan Campaign (1447 AH). The funds were distributed across multiple support tracks, including assistance for debtors, healthcare initiatives, underprivileged families, and other causes.
As for impact, what matters most to us is not merely the amount raised, but transforming those contributions into interventions that ease burdens on families, support their stability, enhance transparency and documentation, and expand partnerships and media outreach to reach the widest possible segment of society.
Governance of Procedures
How are the center’s operations managed and organized to ensure assistance and sponsorship programs are delivered with the highest levels of efficiency while achieving fairness in targeting, sustainability in impact, and governance in procedures?
Our operations are managed through an integrated system that begins with defining eligibility standards and conducting social assessments, supported by digital verification and integration with official databases to minimize any margin of error.
We also operate within financial ceilings and expenditure rationalization policies that ensure fairness of distribution and sustainability of impact. Furthermore, we are committed to documentation and periodic reporting to strengthen transparency.
From a governance perspective, we continuously enhance our quality, compliance, and internal control procedures while ensuring that beneficiaries’ dignity remains at the heart of every step in the service delivery process.
National Partnerships
To what extent does the center rely on partnerships with relevant local entities? How do these partnerships contribute to maximizing social impact and integrating roles within the national social welfare system?
Partnerships are a fundamental pillar of Al-Aqraboon’s operating model because they ensure role integration and the coordination of efforts across the national social welfare system.
We maintain a strategic partnership with the Ministry of Social Development and Family, now in its third consecutive year, to support underprivileged Qatari families. We also rely on integration with the Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities through the “Sanad” platform to improve verification efficiency and accelerate procedures.
In addition, we continue expanding partnerships with the private sector, banks, and institutions through corporate social responsibility programs, thereby multiplying impact and increasing the center’s ability to meet diverse needs within the country.
Planning and Empowerment
How does the center plan to move beyond responding to immediate needs and toward broader approaches that promote empowerment and family stability for Qatari society in the medium and long term?
We follow a planning approach that balances rapid response to urgent cases with the development of pathways for empowerment and long-term stability.
This is reflected in the diversification of our programs and projects and in our adoption of performance and impact indicators, along with clear monitoring frameworks for each initiative to ensure continuous improvement in outcomes.
Our 2026 plan, which includes 32 projects, reflects a qualitative shift from merely “meeting needs” to “enhancing stability” through support for education, healthcare, sponsorship programs, and social welfare initiatives, in partnership with relevant national entities.
Future Vision
What are the key aspirations of Al-Aqraboon Center for the next phase? Where are your efforts heading in terms of qualitative expansion, digital transformation, and enhancing social sustainability?
Our ambition for the coming phase is to establish the center as a national reference in social welfare within Qatar through qualitative expansion of programs and greater emphasis on empowerment and sustainability.
We will focus on strengthening digital transformation in eligibility assessment and verification procedures, improving data quality, and accelerating service delivery through integration with official platforms, while further developing partnerships with government entities, the private sector, and the wider community.
We will also continue implementing our 2026 plan and its diverse programs to ensure tangible and sustainable impact for families and the groups most in need.
