by Leigh Powell
In May, Habitat for Humanity International received a $22 million gift from the people of Qatar.
A Middle Eastern nation of just under 900,000 people, Qatar has earmarked a total of $100 million to assist with Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts in the United States. The gift has been allocated to organizations meeting health care, housing and education needs along the Gulf Coast. The Children's Hospital of New Orleans, the March of Dimes, Louisiana State University, Tulane University and Xavier University joined Habitat for Humanity as recipients of the first round of allocations, totaling just over $60 million.
Through Habitat's Operation Home Delivery hurricane response program, Qatar's gift will build 293 homes: 153 in Louisiana, 107 in Mississippi, and 33 in Alabama.
Speaking with organization representatives, Qatar's ambassador to the United States, H.E. Nasser Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, emphasized how moved he was by his tour of New Orleans' damaged neighborhoods. "I saw damaged cars, damaged houses, houses on top of cars," he said. "There used to be families [in these areas] - what happened to them?"
The ambassador shared why the people of Qatar felt compelled to respond: "We are part of one unified human race. We are part of one global city. We are all witnesses, and because we are witnesses, we have responsibility. ... It was our obligation to come and help."
