DAMMAM, 23 December — Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, donated SR5 million with an additional annual donation of SR1 million for a charitable fund he has established to support the disabled, especially families with disabled members who cannot afford the expenses of the specialist care they often require.
Prince Sultan made this announcement yesterday while opening the permanent headquarters of the Eastern Province’s Society for Disabled and called upon people to help the disabled to assimilate into mainstream society.
The new center, named after Prince Sultan, will be the most important facility for the physically disabled in the Eastern Province.
Welcoming Prince Sultan to the new facility, Saad ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Othman, chairman of the board of trustees of the society, said the new center would satisfy all the requirements of the disabled. The center has a wide variety of sections that cater to the needs of all age groups and all kinds of disability.
Proper education for the handicapped will be the main feature of the new center, which will also provide vocational training.
Eastern Province Governor Prince Muhammad ibn Fahd and his deputy Prince Saud ibn Naif accompanied Prince Sultan.
Speaking on the occasion, Prince Muhammad ibn Fahd, president of the society in the region, commended Prince Sultan’s keenness in supporting charitable deeds.
"We are today celebrating with Prince Sultan a new stage in social work," he said.
He also thanked the businessmen of the region for generously supporting the society.
Earlier, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Ali Al-Namlah and undersecretary Al-Othman received Prince Sultan and his entourage on the premises of the charity.
Al-Othman thanked the governor and his deputy for their total support to the cause.
He said the new center was a gift to the province on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the reign of King Fahd. He attributed the successful activities of the society to a SR20 million donation by Prince Sultan.
Later, Prince Sultan formally opened the Sunset Beach, a tourist village at Aziziyah. The renovated tourist village is yet another attraction for domestic tourists in the Eastern Province.
Renovation work at the Sunset Beach started nearly two years ago, and was part of government and private sector’s move to give a boost to tourism in the region.
During the past five years, the Half Moon Beach and Aziziyah areas have developed into a well-equipped tourist center. Many private sector companies have made major investments in these two locations.
Prince Sultan is scheduled to leave the Eastern Province this afternoon from King Abdul Aziz Air Base. His visit was part of his annual program to celebrate Eid with the armed forces. He paid a visit to the King Fahd Military City and on Thursday, he inaugurated three major facilities at King Abdul Aziz Air Base.
On Friday Prince Sultan, accompanied by Prince Muhammad, paid a short visit to Bahrain, where he discussed bilateral issues with Emir Sheikh Hamad ibn Isa Al-Khalifa.
Before arriving in the Eastern Province, Prince Sultan visited Tabuk where he inaugurated a number of important projects.
