Volunteers honored at award ceremony

Held in Qatar Academy's auditorium, the event was hosted by Reach Out To Asia (ROTA), the Qatar-based charity which organized the volunteer trip. The guest of honor for the evening was Her Excellency, Sheikha Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, the Chairperson of ROTA, who presented each of the volunteer team members with a Certificate of Achievement for their efforts. Members of ROTA's Board were also in attendance, along with an invited guest list of sponsors and supporters.

The volunteers had helped with the final preparations of a school complex which is being constructed by ROTA in the earthquake struck village of Bayat Klaten, south of Jogjakarta. They spent the week carrying out a program of activities at the school which included painting of newly plastered exterior walls, landscaping, and carrying buckets of concrete, in an effort to help have the school ready for the new academic year in July.

The eight participating schools were Park House English School, Gulf English School, Pakistan Education Centre, Al Wakrah Independent School, Al Khor International School, Qatar International School, Doha Independent Secondary School for Boys and Qatar Academy, each of which had prepared a program of educational and cultural activities to share with the children of Bayat School.

During the evening, the audience was shown a short DVD and photographic presentation recording highlights of the trip.

16yr old Tagreed Al Majed from Qatar Academy recounted her reflections of the volunteer experience, and Leanne Britts, an 11th grade student from Park House English School described in her own words how she had benefited from the visit. "I was ignorant before, thinking the world owed me something. Now I know that it should not be me standing open-handed, demanding a better life, but I should be giving all I can. I try to take that everywhere I go, that outlook...we are truly blessed."

ROTA is currently working in two locations within Indonesia. In Lamreh, Aceh, on the island of Sumatra - an area devastated by the 2005 Tsunami - they have fully furnished and equipped a Learning Center, giving more than 260 students and their community access to over 1,500 books, plus the opportunity to participate in after school activities and use interactive learning tools.

The work at Bayat Klaten in Central Java, has involved the reconstruction, furnishing and equipping of an integrated primary and secondary school, providing access to education for over 1000 students. Both projects are ongoing and will include a five-year education program to develop the curriculum and conduct workshops and training for teachers and students.