JEDDAH, 31 May 2003 — Efforts are under way to establish a model village for the poor and needy some 135 kilometers from here. To be established by the Higher Women’s Committee for Social and Humanitarian Services, the project will accommodate 120 poor families.
Princess Sara bint Abdul Mohsen Al-Anqari, wife of Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed and chairman of the committee, said her organization planned the project in response to a call to fight poverty by Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard.
“The committee has completed designs for 106 housing units in Tufail village,” the princess said in a press statement. Work on the project, which is expected to cost SR7 million, has already started, she said, adding that the housing units would be ready within the next six months.
Princess Sara said the committee expected more assistance from businessmen and philanthropists for other projects such as a desalination plant, a health center, a mosque and artesian wells in the village.
Prince Abdullah spearheaded the Kingdom’s fight against poverty after visiting a slum in the capital last November. He called for a national strategy to wipe out poverty from the country.
The Prince Abdullah Foundation for Housing, a charitable organization named after the crown prince, yesterday announced its plan to implement housing projects in 12 villages in Hail, Asir, Jizan, Baha, Tabuk, Madinah, Al-Ahsa and Makkah regions.
Charitable organizations in various parts of the Kingdom play an active role in the fight against poverty, as they provide assistance to the poor through donations and free facilities such as health clinics, orphanages and homes for the elderly.
There are 256 charitable and social organizations in the Kingdom which help in lifting the burden of poverty on individuals and families.
The Women’s Welfare Organization in Jeddah was registered with the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs some 40 years ago.
According to Mona Alfadly, the organization’s director, it now supports more than 7,000 families, 80 percent of them Saudis. “Our goal is to help women from limited income families become financially independent,” she said.
The charity provides them with education and training centers in different fields. “We have several training programs such as tailoring, needle-work, beautician, and nursing as well as free classes in computer skills and English language,” Huda Al-Khudari, director of public relations, told Arab News.
After completing their training, the organization helps these women find jobs either at the organization’s own facilities (a tailoring shop, an orphanage and childcare center, and a home for the elderly) or elsewhere. “We also assist families who produce handicrafts at home to market their products through exhibitions and events,” said Al-Khudari.
The women benefiting from these programs include widows, divorcees, those abandoned or whose husbands are unemployed or in jail, and those who look after elderly parents.
