Endowment fund supports 308,000 students in 2023

Educational support

The General Endowments Department of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs extended educational support to 308,017 students in 13 countries last year through the Education and Cultural Fund. The fund granted 960 scholarships to Assalam School students, provided 197 scholarships to the Religious Institute, and awarded 20 scholarships to students with special needs. Additionally, 244 scholarships supported higher education endeavors at national and international universities.

The Education and Cultural Fund also played a pivotal role in publishing religious books, with the Al Sheikh Ali Bin Abdullah Al Thani Public Library distributing 103,051 Arabic books and 35,000 English books in 2023. The library also published 36,000 copies of the 6th edition of the Umma Book.

Another fund managed by the Endowments Department, the Fund for Caring Family and Children, contributed QR10 million to an urgent relief campaign for earthquake-affected people in Syria and Turkey. Ninety-five Qatari families received support through the social security program of the Ministry of Social Development and Family, and 52 families benefited from the Sheikh Ali Bin Abdullah Al Thani endowment program.

The department also oversaw several investment projects in 2023, with completed projects such as a service villa at Madinat Khalifa and ongoing projects, including a residential building in Umm Ghuailina and a commercial building. The first endowment forum, aimed at introducing the concept of endowment, took place at the premises of Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque, featuring various activities, lectures, and competitions over five days.

The forum showcased a drawing event at the IslamWeb pavilion, competitions for recording prophetic traditions and poems in praise of the Prophet, and activities at the Sheikh Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud Islamic Cultural Center pavilion. Visitors had the opportunity to experience a three-dimensional environment through technology and get their names written in Arabic calligraphy by a Qatari Qur’an calligrapher at the pavilion of Sheikh Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud Islamic Cultural Center. The pavilion of Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani Endowment Library offered a collection of books to visitors.