I received an invitation from the head of the media committee to visit the Ramadan Tent in Madinah. The tent, a charity project approved by Madinah Governor Prince Muqrin, holds representatives from all the charities in Madinah and operates from the fourth to the 15th of Ramadan. The tent is erected in an area next to the Prophet’s Mosque and carries the motto — "The month of charity in the country of charity." The idea behind the tent is to make the efforts and activities of Madinah charities known to all and also to generate funds for them during the festival and develop close coordination between them.
Along with the tent’s main attractions, there are other activities coordinated with major hotels and a daily lecture about various charities and their objectives.
In fact, Princess Abta Hamoud Al-Rashid, the wife of Prince Muqrin, has played a major role in terms of supervising and monitoring the tent and its activities. With her support and direction, there is a women’s corner, a welfare corner and a corner for receiving donations for the King Abdul Aziz Kidney Center in Madinah. The tent also displays and sells products of the charities and I found out that the total number of volunteers in Madinah charities is 184 volunteers with 334 volunteers in the surrounding villages. While I was in the tent, I realized how difficult it is to count all the participating charities and it made me feel happy about the natural and human reaction of people to the good acts that are so acceptable to Allah.
The Ramadan Tent is in its first year and the idea is to make it an annual event and to expand its activities and aims. Moreover, it is hoped that the business people and companies in Madinah will rent corners or areas within the tent where additional income would be generated to boost the contributions to the various charities.
As the tent is located in the city center where commercial activity never ceases, it would be wise to include a wide variety of goods and materials in response to the needs of shoppers and visitors to the city.
The women’s section should be expanded and its working hours should take into account the working hours of many women. I understood that there are also lectures for men and women at different times and in different places.
Finally, I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to all who participated in the Ramadan Tent project, remembering the philanthropists and charities without exception.