Charity event raises QR12mn

Social Development Centre (SDC) raised a whopping QR12mn yesterday evening at its 7th charity gala dinner with the event paying tribute to the Iraqi culture and civilisation.

The extravaganza ‘Seven Letters of Rafidain’ began with HH the Emir and HH Sheikha Moza Nasser al-Misnad taking a tour of the foyer, which led to the main venue, where an exhibition recognising the former centre of Arabic wisdom and discovery, Iraq, had been set up, before they officially launched the event.

Performers from Iraq then set the theme for the evening by presenting Gilgamesh, often considered one of the oldest written stories on Earth, having been preserved on clay tablets which were deciphered only in the last century.

Qtel, the official partner of this year’s dinner, auctioned five “distinguished” mobile phone numbers. First to get the paddles raised was 3303 3333, which was quickly snapped up for QR1mn, followed by 6666 8888 which went for QR2.7mn. Moments later the new owner of the number re-donated it, which this time fetched QR1.5mn.

It then became a competition. Number 6633 3333 was bought for QR2mn, re-donated and resold for QR700,000; donated again, and resold for QR600,000. The last two numbers, 3312 7222 and 6661 6666 went for QR600,000 and QR900,000.

Qatar already holds the record for most expensive mobile number, when a number (666 6666) auctioned by Qtel in December 2007 fetched a whopping QR10mn.

In addition to numbers, a donated exquisite watch, one of only three in the world, was auctioned for QR2mn. The whole process of auctioning was interspersed with Islamic foundations giving away material and money to charity.

It was not immediately clear how much was raised through the sales of tables, tagged at QR40,000, with seats priced at QR5,000. The raised funds will be used for the Qatar Foundation-backed SDC project Tanmum.

SDC promotes the building of stable and self-sufficient families by offering workplace training and creating and stimulating a work ethic in low-income families and the youth of both genders in different organisations through projects such as Tanmum, Kasami and Tammia.

Each year’s gala dinner represents a different subject and idea. In 2001, the gala dinner focused on the traditional Qatari wedding, with subsequent events celebrating the Qatari abaya, and cultures and civilisations of the Venetian Carnival, and Andalucia.

“The Seven Letters of Rafidain” was centred on the civilisation of Iraq, when Baghdad was the second largest city in the world (8th-13th centuries) and a Mecca for studies of medicine, philosophy, geography and poetry. Renowned Iraqi director Jawad al-Assadi directed a seven-act theatrical show focused on scholars who lived in those times.

The foyer, leading to the main venue, featured a series of exhibits, flown in from the international exhibition “Sultan of Science.” Among the artefacts, perhaps the most unique was a towering elephant clock nearly 4m high. According to an SDC official, the previous gala dinner raised QR7.6mn and was used to build Al-Bait compound.

The total number of beneficiaries of SDC activities in Qatar is 29,000.