JEDDAH, 22 June — Prince Sultan ibn Salman, chairman of the  Disabled Children’s Association (DCA) and Khaled Olayan, chairman of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday signed an agreement to launch a Kingdom-wide “Friends of Disabled Children” (FDC) program.

Speaking at a press conference held at the DCA, Prince Sultan said: “It’s indeed a pleasure to invite Coca-Cola Saudi Arabia to partner the DCA in achieving its objectives of building awareness and understanding for the cause of disabled children and to raise funds in support of its activities.

“The DCA has, during the past 15 years, worked with a great amount of commitment and vigor to build special centers across the Kingdom to provide free medical treatment, education and rehabilitation for thousands of disabled children. All of these achievements have built understanding and trust among the various sections of society, including the corporate sector, resulting in support for the activities of the association.

“The association would not have been able to expand its operations across the Kingdom without the blessings of the Almighty Allah and generous donations from the government, leading Saudi companies and citizens. The support extended to the association by corporate bodies, such as Coca-Cola Saudi Arabia, to create and support such special programs, reflects the understanding that these companies have of their role as socially responsible entities in Saudi society,” Prince Sultan added.

Khaled Olayan said: “Our alliance with the DCA is a significant initiative in connecting with the community in the Kingdom. The Coca-Cola Company thrives on partnerships and relationships in the communities in which it works, which not only contribute to the success of our business, but also make important contributions to improving the quality of life and advancing society.

The FDC program will involve Coca-Cola initiating a series of activities across the Kingdom, which include sports, cultural and entertainment events for students in Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, Jeddah and Jouf to raise funds for the association during the term of two years that the agreement runs.

To encourage attendance and donations at these festivals, Coca-Cola will organize raffles, offering prizes such as Mercedes Benz cars, Hi-Fi stereos, mountain bikes and valuable Coca-Cola premiums. Coca-Cola will donate part of the collection from the raffle to DCA.

“Our relationship with the DCA is not new. The Coca-Cola Company has in the past worked with the Association to support popular activities such as the Charity Marathon and events during Haj, “ said Mustafa M. Farsi, public affairs Manager, Coca-Cola Saudi Arabia. “During the ongoing Jeddah 22 festival and the Madinah Festival, we will be working with the DCA to activate six-a-side football tournaments to generate donations for the association.”

The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Saudi Arabia bottles products of The Coca-Cola Company  in the Kingdom at the company’s plants in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. Coca-Cola is among the leading companies in the Kingdom’s Saudization drive with over 23 percent of the 2,000 staff made up of Saudi nationals.

The company indirectly supports thousands of jobs in related industries.