Football star and Ooredoo brand ambassador Lionel Messi arrived in Doha today to launch a global initiative in the country later this month.
Messi was appointed Ooredoo’s global brand ambassador in February 2013. Ooredoo is working in collaboration with The Leo Messi Foundation to launch several key projects aimed at youth welfare and development. At a special ceremony, Ooredoo Chairman HE Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al-Thani and Messi announced the launch of an initiative to support mobile health clinics around the world that will help provide medical attention to children in the MENA region and Southeast Asia. By 2016, Ooredoo hopes to reach two million children across its global markets through this initiative.
In a press statement issued by Ooredoo, Messi said: “Ooredoo and I believe in making a difference in the community, and I’m proud that the Leo Messi Foundation will help Ooredoo provide much-needed healthcare and educational support for at-risk children around the world. This unique partnership with Ooredoo is another way that we can help youth make their dreams come true.”
Author: Justhere Qatar
Been in Qatar long enough to remember these?
When weekends meant Thursday and Friday. The decision to shift weekend to Friday and Saturday came in 2003 to bring Qatar closer to world standards.
When phone numbers only consisted of six digits.
When restaurants near Ramada intersection (especially Pizza Hut and Caravan) were the only hangouts for high-schoolers and dining-out options for most people.
Read MoreFinding a Space
Here I was, this young newly-married housewife living in a foreign country, completely uncertain of what to expect and attempting to create a life from an idea. Regardless of the groups I joined or the classes I attended, it was hard for me to forge a real connection with others. I was not working at the time, and that meant that I needed to put in a large amount of effort to get out and meet people.
Doha is filled with people who are here for either a couple of months or a couple of years. Others have often said: “We’re going back home some day, we’re not here for too long” or “Our contract is only for two years”. This temporariness blankets this city in a way that made deep relationships hard to cultivate, and I remained uncertain of my own sense of rootedness in all this flux.