Introduction to the Orphan Care Center “Dreama”

The State of Qatar has been keen to adopt a rights-based approach and has worked to provide an environment that allows the well-being of children to be achieved, by following the necessary measures to supervise and monitor their implementation. 

The permanent constitution of the State of Qatar defines the components of society based on the pillars of justice, charity, freedom, equality, and good morals. 

The constitution also specifically affirmed the state’s responsibility to children, where the article (22) stipulated that: “The State shall provide care for the young and protect them from corruption, exploitation, and the evils of physical, mental and spiritual neglect. The State shall also create circumstances conducive to the development of their abilities in all fields based on a sound education.”

The Center, based on Qatar National Vision 2030, was keen to develop the message, procedures, and strategies to meet the needs of the Vision and its four pillars of human development, social development, economic development, and environmental development, in line with the country’s distinguished efforts in all vital fields. The third national development strategy 2024-2030 was based on establishing an integrated, effective and sustainable social protection system to all segments. The family continues to constitute the compass of social policies in the country, so great interest has been given to orphans who lack family support.

An overview of Dreama

Orphans Care Center Dreama was established in 2002 to care for the orphans of our sons and daughters in Qatar, provide them with the necessary care, ensure their stability in the incubating families, incorporate them into society, and make society aware of the importance of incubation.

Vision:

A pioneering center in caring for orphans and integrating them into society.

Mission:

In line with the mission of the Qatar Foundation for Social Work, we contribute to providing the necessary care for target groups in the State of Qatar, settling them in alternative foster families, and integrating them into society.

Values:

• Responsibility.
• Privacy.
• Equality.
• Partnership.

Strategic Goals:

1. Providing a safe and stable environment for target groups.
2. Reducing the number of cases in the internal care department to the lowest possible number.
3. Building and developing institutional capacities.

Targeted Categories

• Anyone whose parents have died and who was temporarily or permanently deprived of a normal family environment and whose age is not more than 18 years.

• The parent or parents are unknown and he was temporarily or permanently deprived of a normal family environment and his age is not more than 18 years.

Services:

Since its establishment, Dreama has provided many varied services with continuous encouragement from the wise leadership in the country. These services aim to take care of the orphans and ensure their rights. The Dreama Center is also considered unique in its integrated services and policies that cover all care and empowerment requirements for orphans. The integrated team works with its various specializations to provide integrated care services for children to meet their needs in a family environment similar to the environment, in addition to developing their capabilities. These services include:

1. Social and psychological services.

2.  Health services.

3.  Legal services.

4.  Educational service.

First: Social and psychological services (including internal care and social care):

●  Internal Care Services:

This covers orphans who are accommodated at the Center’s headquarters. Internal care also provides the highest levels of social welfare. The Dreama Center seeks to be a “shelter without children” to express its firm belief that the natural family is the ideal environment for taking care of children. The Center also works on:

• Providing a safe, stable environment that ensures the availability of all necessities of life, educational and health services. It also provides housing in independent homes prepared with high quality to resemble a family environment.
• Raising them on national identity and Islamic values, under the supervision of social and psychological specialists, under the care of trained and qualified incubators.
• Follow up on the beneficiary’s scientific and academic progress, providing the necessary educational support as needed.
• Enhancing cognitive, social and psychological capabilities and developing life skills that refine the beneficiary’s personality, support the development of their abilities and talents, and build self-confidence to be an effective, self-reliant individual in society.
• Providing integrated protection for the beneficiary groups, in accordance with the standards, regulations, and conditions at the Centre.
• Organizing entertainment events and internal and external trips with the aim of social integration of children.

Social Care Services:

• The Social Care Services specialize in following up on orphans in incubating families. This comes within the framework of the Dreama Center’s policies and procedures to ensure a safe place and sound upbringing for children who have lost family support in incubating families. These procedures include proactive steps and subsequent steps to ensure care, sound upbringing, and integrated protection. The proactive steps for orphans include, studying the social and economic situation of the family and ensuring that the required standards are provided in families requesting incubating in accordance with the Center’s policies. This includes field visits and inspections of the homes of families wishing to care for orphans, conducting specialized social and psychological studies and then conducting counseling sessions and training courses for the incubating mothers to obtain a license. 
• Regarding the subsequent procedures, it includes supervising and following up on the conditions of children, to ensure their proper upbringing in accordance with the Center’s regulations and policies. Dreama also follows up on the social, psychological, health, educational and behavioral aspects, and provide all services that protect children from all forms of exploitation.
• This integrated approach to caring for orphans has created an environment and an integrated system to ensure the protection of orphans and to ensure that comprehensive care is provided to them inside and outside the Center. Dreama addresses all the difficulties or challenges faced by incubating families and provides the necessary support and assistance in addition to psychological, educational, and legal consultations.

Second: Health Services:

• The right to benefit from state health and treatment services has become a guaranteed basic right, and one of the first steps is to ensure that our target groups obtain them.
• Establishing partnerships between Dreama and several government agencies, especially to provide free health treatment.
• Establishing partnerships between Dreama and several private entities, to give children health insurance cards.

Third: Legal Services:

The Center provides a number of legal services to target groups, which ensures all types of legal protection and legal support, the most important of which are represented in the following:

• Formulating contracts with families incubating children and ensuring that all necessary needs for the child are available.
• Contributing to obtaining the necessary identification papers and documents for them.
• Follow up on the legal procedures related to the identification documents of the targeted groups, with the relevant authorities in the country.
• Expressing legal opinions on legal issues related to target groups and their incubating families.
• Providing legal advice and services to target groups and representing them in front of the competent authorities in the country whenever necessary.
• Proposing the introduction or amendment of legislative tools related to the Center’s work whenever this is in the interest of the beneficiary groups.
• Providing beneficiary groups with legal skills and educating them about the various laws related to them.
• Contracting with the most efficient law firms operating in the country for the purpose of representing the Center in front of the security and judicial authorities.

Fourth: Educational Services:

• Making education one of the conditions for approval for incubating, guaranteeing the child’s right to attend school from early childhood to university education.
• Coordination and cooperation with the Ministry of Education to issue exceptions to ease all obstacles and grant free educational vouchers to help them enroll in private schools.
• Assistance in enrolling in universities and providing official sponsors and donors who cover all their educational expenses.

To ensure upbringing in a safe and stable environment and develop capabilities for all beneficiary groups, the Center works to provide the following:

Empowerment:

• Enhancing children’s participation in the initiatives of ministries and private institutions through training courses and workshops to empower the target groups, ensure a bright professional future, and give them a decent life.
• Cooperation and coordination with government and private agencies to provide suitable job opportunities for beneficiaries and provide training and vocational qualification within the framework of social responsibility.
• Ensuring the involvement of beneficiaries in cultural, educational, religious, sporting and entertainment activities, which help develop them and support their talents.

Integration:

• Spreading awareness among all members of society about the importance of incubation and its impact on the orphan’s life.
• Raising community awareness about target groups and social integration to achieve equality and partnership.
• Receiving support, donations, or any service or skill to support target groups.
• Educating the community about the importance of supporting orphan issues from a religious standpoint.
• Promoting ethical behaviors and instilling a sense of community solidarity by accepting the integration of orphans into society.

Specialized training for service providers, care providers and incubating families

Service and Care Providers:

Training specialists and caregivers on guidelines for case management and child protection. The Center also intensifies specialized courses to identify best practices for serving the target group and providing psychological and social support.

Incubating Families:

• Strengthening the capabilities of the incubating family to provide essential services such as healthcare, education, and financial support to the child.
• Ensuring the eligibility of fathers and mothers applying for incubation through psychological assessments. This serves as a fundamental step in fostering a healthy family environment and raising active members of society.
• Providing awareness-raising educational courses for incubating families and applicants, clarifying their roles, understanding the child’s natural developmental stages and psychological needs, and equipping them with the skills to meet the child's basic necessities during the incubation period.
• Providing rehabilitative and educational opportunities for incubating families to protect the child from exposure to psychological crises, and to raise the child in a safe and stable family environment by reducing the severe psychological suffering due to the difficulty of their situation, which results in many family disputes.
• Supporting and empowering the incubating mothers by conducting rehabilitation sessions to raise self-esteem, such as their ability to establish close relationships and cooperation with the child, or by learning new skills.
• Facilitating shared responsibility among parents in the incubating family for raising and caring for the child.

• With the cooperation of the incubating family, we help in creating clear methods through partnership with active institutions in society and benefiting from their roles in empowering incubating women.

   

Incubating Conditions:

1. To be a Qatari Muslim family consisting of two righteous spouses.

2. The age of the spouses shall not be less than twenty-five years and not more than fifty years.

3. The spouses should enjoy good conduct and behavior.

4. The family should be able to take care of the child socially and psychologically.

5. The family should be financially able to provide its members and those who are incubated.

6. The medical examination proves that the family is free of infectious diseases and mental, psychological, and behavioral disorders.

7. The committee may add other conditions or procedures to ensure the interest of the child and their care.

The Dreama Flower :

One of the natural plants that grow in the State of Qatar. It was chosen as the center’s logo because it symbolizes strength and grows in hard lands and difficult climatic conditions. Its flowers are beautiful, pink to violet in color, and reflect the innocence and beauty of our children.

The Hotline :

The hotline, which accepts calls from certified and specialized professionals, operates 24 hours, and is available in both English and Arabic.

The hotline serves as the initial point of contact for the center and offers social services by taking phone calls, conducting social studies, opening files for each case, and providing counseling, guidance, and follow-up on services rendered to the recipient.

Hotline number 16030.