DOHA: Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah Foundation for Humanitarian Services (RAF) has concluded its last edition of community marriage programme in which 140 Qatari youth were helped to tie the knot.
With the completion of this edition, RAF has achieved its target to help 1,000 Qatari youth marry. The initiative was launched in late 2009.
The last community marriage event was attended by Dr Sheikh Khalid bin Thani Al Thani, Chairman of RAF’s Board of Directors, and other officials and guests.
RAF plans to set up a permanent “family centre” to provide pre-marital counseling to the youth.
A marriage counseling expert, Dr Hammud Al Qashan was invited to address the ceremony.
“The Family Center will be a landmark to serve the Qatari community. I urge RAF management to launch similar initiatives in other GCC countries and Arab and Islamic states as well,” said Al Qashan.
“The people of these countries have always been waiting to see Qatar do something new and useful in the field of social welfare,” he added.
At least 97 percent of marriages that have taken place under RAF’s initiative have been successful,” said Yahya bin Hamad Al Naimi, Assistant CEO for local projects of RAF.
“This is a good indication and shows that this is a national strategic project with social responsibility from RAF towards the Qatari Community,” he added.
“The initiative has helped make 1,000 families. Most of the couples who tied their knot in the days of early community marriage programme of RAF have children and some of them have attained the age of five and above,” said Al Naimi.
The good news for the Qatari youth planning to get married is the establishment of a family centre which would provide them per-marriage counselling, said Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahamd bin Mohammad Al Buaynain, Head, Consultative Committee, mass marriage Initiative, RAF.
The centre will see the light of day soon, said Al Buaynain. It will continue serving youth by holding programmes to educate them about married life. The committee will hire best Qatari experts in family issues who will provide pre-marriage counselling, Al Buaynain added.
The Peninsula
