Doha                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              22 Nov 2018

Education Above All (EAA) Foundation’s Programme Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) launched today the second edition of MENA Youth Capacity building in Humanitarian Action (MCYHA) 2018 training, at the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC), sponsored by Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD).

The training is being attended by 210 participants from different parts of the world, consisting of youth advocates, humanitarian organisations, and other experts in the field to share their experiences and best practices, and is designed for young people in the Middle East and North Africa to support them as partners and active youth in humanitarian action. The training will offer practical learning that can immediately be applied by youth in their local contexts. Once participants return to their home countries, they will receive 6 months of ongoing support and mentorship by partner NGOs to help them deliver their planned Youth-led Humanitarian Action Projects.

The opening ceremony started with a motivational speech which drew a special attention to the participant’s success stories by Lulwa al-Khater,  Spokesperson,  Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, followed by speech by ROTA Executive Director, and a panel discussion under the theme of “Transforming Humanitarian Action with and for Young People”.

Panel discussion was moderated by Dr. Hani AL Banna, President, Humanitarian Forum, participating panelists included Sultan Ahmed Al-Aseeri, Country Programs Manager,  Qatar Fund for Development, Dr. Iyad Nasr, Head of OCHA Regional Office, MENA, Dr. Hossam Said, Managing Director,  Humanitarian Academy for Development (HAD), Khalid Khalifa, UNHCR’s regional representative in the GCC region. The ceremony was concluded with motivational speeches delivered by two members of MYCHA Youth Advisory Group – MYAG. The event was also attended by Chief Executive Officer of Education Above All Foundation and Khalifa Bin Jassim Al-Kuwari, Director General of Qatar Fund for Development and Ali Abdullah Al Dabbagh, Deputy Director General for Planning at the Qatar Fund for Development.

This five-day event strives to empower youth in humanitarian settings throughout the MENA region to assure their meaningful participation in preparedness, response and conflict resolution in different situations and contexts. The MYCHA training is in line with EAA’s broad mission of providing and protecting the right to quality education, and to promote it as a key aspect of humanitarian intervention in countries in crisis.

On this occasion, Essa Al Mannai, ROTA Executive Director, said “The 2nd edition of MYCHA training programme will provide a great opportunity to promote humanitarian credentials and work towards empowering young people to play a leading role in the region’s humanitarian action. The training’s theme will focus on the dimensions of humanitarian action, the provision of education as a humanitarian response, climate change and nature caused disasters, famines, floods, typhoons, volcanoes, as well as influencing and advocacy in humanitarian work such as volunteerism, social media, and the use of technology in humanitarian action.”

He added: “Youth are the future leaders and possess exceptional capacities in addressing humanitarian crises. Through MYCHA programme, we aim to train the participants to become responsible future civic leaders, able to solve many of the problems facing the world today. I am confident that the five-day training will be of professional and personal benefit to all the participants.”

This year MYCHA 2018 is proud to have on board the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), as its official sponsor, which cooperates with many active actors experienced in development efforts. QFFD and EAA have witnessed, over the years, many successful collaborations and endeavours.

On his part, Sultan Ahmed Al-Aseeri, Country Programs Manager at the Qatar Fund for Development said “MYCHA training falls in tune with our goal to achieve inclusive and sustainable development, by addressing priority issues of education, health and economic empowerment. We are elated to come on board as the proud sponsors for this programme, and we aim to offer sustainable environment to millions of youth who are in urgent need of exposure to quality education and basic livelihood necessities. Our partnership with EAA goes a long way and we would continue to collaborate with them for such noble cause in their future endeavours as well.”

He added that “QFFD is a public development institution committed, on behalf of the State of Qatar, to improving the livelihood of communities around the world by empowering populations through the promotion of education, healthcare, social services, infrastructure and economic development. Education is key to human development – a binding thread and a mutual belief shared by both EAA and QFFD.”

Saleem Alsaadani, a member of MYCHA Youth Advisory Group (MYAG)  said in his speech that “We are elated to participate in the 2^nd edition of MENA Youth Capacity building in Humanitarian Action (MCYHA) 2018 training programme, and we are committed to empower the participants in leading humanitarian action and advocating for their causes. We will provide the youth with guidance and monitoring for their initiatives, and help them advocate and raise awareness on the importance of civic and humanitarian action, as well as the positive impact of volunteerism on our communities.”

The MYCHA training programme is organized in association with EAA’s international and local partners, including United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (DI), Qatar Red Crescent (QRC), Human Appeal (HA), Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE), Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), International Rescue Committee (IRC), Osman Consulting, CARE Organization, Humanitarian Academy for Development (HAD), Mercy Corps, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC), and Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD).