Vodafone Qatar cease support for charity project
Vodafone Qatar has announced that it will stop sponsoring the ongoing My First Amazon Adventure, a charity project in which seven Qatari youngsters are currently participating in Brazil.
Vodafone Qatar chairman, H.E. Sheikh Dr. Khalid Bin Thani Bin Abdullah Al Thani, made this decision after several citizens criticized the project on cultural grounds. However, it is unclear if this is the sole reason for ceasing the funding.
“This decision to completely withdraw from this project and cease all kinds of support to it reflects our Chairman H.E Sheikh Dr. Khalid Bin Thani Al Thani’s commitment to seeing Vodafone Qatar providing the best services and initiatives that are suitable to the norms and values of the Qatari culture,” said an official statement from Vodafone Qatar.
According to a Doha News report, Vodafone Qatar's YouTube video of the young Qataris had drawn negative criticism of a few nationals, in part because the female travelers were not dressed in the traditional abaya and headscarf while on their trip.
In addition to the attire issue, critics have targeted Vodafone for hosting a mixed-gender trip, and the women themselves for traveling abroad without their families, which detractors said was a violation of Qatar’s conservative Islamic principles.
Vodafone Qatar has dissolved its existing responsibilities of this initiative from here on and will now be the sole responsibility of Mediadante, production company overseeing the project.
Vodafone Qatar added that the production company, which is now overseeing the project, and the crew working closely with it have been responsible since day One to see the group leaving Doha, staying in Brasil, and returning here safely.
As they are now the sole decision makers behind this project and given the fact that they are fully capable of and equipped to ensure the security of everyone involved, they will see the safe stay and return of the group in due course.
“We would also like to mention that our full financial obligations towards this project have been met and fulfilled since the beginning.”
Do you think Vodafone Qatar should have pulled out of sponsoring this charitable project?
Vodafone Qatar Board, headed by H.E. Sheikh Dr. Khalid Bin Thani, decides to cease all support to the Amazon Project http://t.co/UBflUjlw5W
— Vodafone Qatar (@VodafoneQatar) August 17, 2014Vodafone Qatar has cancelled its backing for the Amazon Project, which saw a group of young Qataris travel to Brazil to do charity work...
— Matthew Reed (@mattreed1) August 17, 2014
No need for all this palava, if Vodafone wanted to make a charitable donation, why can't they do it directly, instead they have to waste money on advertising, marketing, logistics, etc. for this useless initiative that not many people will look into. It is better that this initiative was cancel, they can allocate the funds for better use to enhance their customer service, facilities, better tariffs, etc.
Vodafone will cease funding charitable work because the norms and values of Qatari culture is to ignore those in need, and just focus on what young women are wearing? Wow.
whew! .... come on Vodafone! this project is for charity... and it's led by Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Thani.... the girls did nothing wrong - but exercising their choice ...