Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) and Aramex, yesterday entered into a collaboration for quicker disaster response in North Africa, Middle East and other parts of the world. The year long partnership will focus on skill-sharing, coordination and support between the two organizations. It will help to strengthen QRCS’s logistics capacity to improve the speed of international disaster response efforts and Aramex staff to be trained to work effectively at disaster sites.

Aramex will also help the QRCS in shipping and border clearance which is one of the major problems faced during disaster relief work.

The partnership agreement was signed at the QRCS headquarters yesterday between Saleh Al Mohannadi, Executive Director, QRCS and Fadi Rayes, Country Manager, Aramex.  As logistics is one of the main pillars of disaster relief work mobilising the resources quickly and efficiently is one of the top priory of the QRCS as a relief organisation. “The faster we can get supplies and people on ground, we can help those in need quickly,” said Al Mohannadi. The collaboration with Aramex is an essential part of QRCS’s Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy, which focuses not only on fundraising, but also on mutual skill-sharing with the country’s private sector, he explained.

“This important partnership between QRCS and Aramex is in recognition of our shared common goals, and stems from our mutual conviction that we can accomplish a lot more through sustained engagement,” said Rayes speaking about the importance of the agreement. “Over the years, Aramex has built strong and successful relationships with many global and regional relief agencies and Non Governmental Organizations. Our partnership with QRCS will expand our ability to utilize our existing resources to facilitate the transportation of aid and donations to disaster and war-stricken areas,” he further said.  Through the aprtnership Aramex will offer training and advisory services to QRCS’ Logistics Department and support effective transportation, storage and distribution of relief items to places in the Middle East and North Africa when ever a disaster strikes.