VCUarts Qatar Produces Vests for Ministry of Public Health Volunteers

VCUarts Qatar handed over 300 volunteer uniform vests to the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), this week.

The vests will be worn by MoPH volunteers who are deployed in the wider community to battle the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, providing vital information and coordination in areas such as grocery stores and testing centers. The vests will help identify the volunteers to the public so they will know who to go to for assistance.

The effort was led by the university’s department of Fashion Design, in response to a direct request from the MoPH, to Qatar Foundation. The latest community project comes close on the heels of VCUarts Qatar which co-designed and manufactured face-shields for health care professionals at QF’s Primary Health Care Center.

The vests were delivered by Christopher Fink, the Chair of Fashion Design at VCUarts Qatar, and Abdul Cader, the Technical Fashion Coordinator at VCUarts Qatar, to the Volunteering Center for the National Volunteering Campaign at Qatar University, where it was received by members of the Center.

VCUarts Qatar’s Dean, Amir Berbić, said that the university was delighted at the opportunity to assist the public health care sector in its efforts to safeguard the health of those living in the country.

Berbić noted, “A global health crisis of this level warrants the participation and support of every single person or organization. Since the start of the pandemic, our university has been consistently offering our skills to initiatives that support those on the frontline – especially health care professionals and volunteers. So, when the MoPH approached Qatar Foundation with the request for vests, we saw this as a perfect chance to again be of service to the community.”

Students and faculty from the department helped design the clothing accessory as per the specific requirements of the MoPH. The vests – which have been produced in a shade of maroon that is referred to as Qatar Maroon or Pantone 1955 C – were made in collaboration with a local manufacturing business, Integral Services, which specializes in the production of uniforms for the corporate, private, and educational sectors.

“It gives us immense satisfaction that we’ve been able to respond to the MoPH’s request in this manner,” Fink said. “The design and delivery of these vests – in under two weeks – was the result of the concerted efforts of the faculty, staff, and students of the department of Fashion Design. This initiative, among others by VCUarts Qatar, is exemplar of the practical applications of art and design in the community.”