Georgetown Women’s Club breast cancer fundraiser raises over a hundred thousand Qatari Riyals

Georgetown’s Women’s Society and Development Club (WSDC) recently raised 110,000 QAR at their Fifth Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Event, an increasingly popular campus event that brings the entire community in Qatar together to raise money and understanding about breast cancer, and made possible by the generous support of some of Doha’s most popular businesses. One hundred percent of the proceeds will benefit the Qatar Cancer Society for patient treatment and to fund education about breast cancer.

“Recent studies show that only 7% of Qataris are familiar with breast cancer symptoms and treatment, so while our auction is a fun event with a lot of wonderful gifts for auction or raffle, the most important outcome is to get people talking about breast cancer,” said Noor Al-Thani, who along with Fatima Al-Thani, serves as co-president of the student group WSDC which organized the blockbuster event.

The Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) atrium was festooned with decorations and the ubiquitous pink ribbon logo that represents the fight against breast cancer, as hundreds of students, faculty, staff, and members of the Doha community visited over 50 booths to bid on donated items for the fundraising auction and raffle.

Due to the popularity and visibility of this annual event, organized completely by WSDC students, over ten new business joined this year’s offerings. “This year we added more healthy food stands, such as Raw Me, serving organic juices, The Pantry, featuring amazing organic nut butters, and the Vegetarian TreeHouse, as well as sweet tooth favorites Baskin Robbins, Dippingo, and more,” explained Fatima.

A raffle of 10 iPads and 5 iPhones donated by Ooreddoo were just some of the luxury items for visitors to bid for. The student organizers themselves collectively donated the highlight of the evening: an Hermès Apple Watch valued at around 5,000QAR from the recently revealed collection that marks a new collaboration between the tech giant and the French luxury house, and only available in a select few countries.

Other participating businesses included Magnolia Bakery, Healthy Living Qatar, Tim Hortons, several exclusive abaya tailors such as Darz and Fufi Design, Let’s Popcorn, Reem Favors, Cakerie, Blue Brush, Seib Insurance, Jo la Mode, and AlTseenat Cafe, a popular Souq Waqif eatery that is owned and managed by Qatari women.

In 2010, WSDC was created as a platform for students to discuss the roles and challenges of being a woman. Today the club’s aims include the empowerment and education of women on various contemporary and traditional issues. WSDC works in affiliation with the GU-Q Women’s Center, which is a branch of the Georgetown University Women’s Center in Washington, D.C.