Doha, October 2009 - Qatar Fuel (WOQOD) was one of the key Service Project partners of “Make a Difference Day 2009” a unique public service initiative held on Saturday, 24th October 2009.

The international Make a Difference Day campaign, is sponsored and organized in Qatar by the Education City Service Committee, which is chaired by Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) and includes the Qatar Foundation Campus & Residence Life as well as students and staff from the six undergraduate universities in Education City and the Academic Bridge Program.

As part of an array of themed public service projects conducted on the day, WOQOD’s Al Hilal service station hosted “In Their Shoes” - the workers relief stage of Make A Difference Day 2009 - which was one of seven service projects hosted simultaneously in Qatar between 9.30am and 12.30pm on Saturday.

The “In Their Shoes” part of the campaign aimed to appreciate the year-round efforts of Qatar’s blue collar expatriates workforce for their consistent contributions to making various facets of daily life easier and more convenient for everyone in Qatar.

About 25 volunteers stepped into the shoes of these staff at the Al Hilal WOQOD station. They helped with housekeeping around the station, whilst also helping out with many tasks associated with the cleaning and maintenance of vehicles. They also worked alongside the staff at the WOQOD-owned Sidra convenience store and helped with stock keeping and sales of merchandise.

Representatives of WOQOD’s management team were present at the service station and thanked the volunteers for recognising the efforts of these often underappreciated employees, as well as the efforts of the numerous workers they represent across Qatar.

In a statement, WOQOD’s management also said: “Each WOQOD station is designed to embody the highest Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) protection standards and these employees are especially instrumental to maintaining these standards.”

The other activities organised by ROTA for Make A Difference Day 2009 included Tree planting at the park opposite Qatar’s weaponry museum, Reviving and Planting at a nursery/garden centre, Beach cleaning, Visiting an institute for the deaf, Running workshops at the Dhreima Orphanage and Helping the traffic police.