Summer is the sweet cool taste of an ice cream sundae on a beach resort in the Far East, haute couture shopping in Europe and sightseeing in South Africa. Summer is a time for picnics, weddings and quality time with the family — at least that seems to be the general idea of a perfect summer for a large number of people in the Kingdom which, according to a 2003 report by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) “is the largest tourism generating market in the Middle East.”
Each year, Saudis spend about $6.7 billion on foreign tourism, which constitutes over half of such expenditure by people of all GCC states. Popular travel destinations include Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and Malaysia. Others prefer the cool climate and beautiful scenery of local summer resorts in Taif, Baha and Asir. For many others, however, the joy of a peaceful summer in exotic surroundings is a far cry from the grim reality of poverty-stricken lives.
For Shamsuddin, a poor laborer from Bangladesh, summer is just like any other part of the year, and there is no escape from the drudgery of hard labor. While most people in Riyadh spend the hot summer days in air-conditioned houses, offices and luxury hotels, Shamsuddin spends most of his day on the streets doing odd jobs to try to scrape together a few extra riyals to send home to his family.
“There are about one million Bangladeshis living in Saudi Arabia, and about 90 percent of them are laborers. They accept low-paying jobs in the Kingdom, and some of them have a very hard time,” a source at the Bangladeshi Embassy in Riyadh told Arab News.
Shamsuddin came to Saudi Arabia seven years ago as a caretaker for a small community mosque at a salary of SR400 per month. He lives in a room beside the mosque and the low pay is still more than he would earn in his home country where 45 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. But Shamsuddin has neither the money nor the peace of mind to consider a vacation. In seven years, Shamsuddin has only returned home once. He has seven children, including a disabled adult daughter, who cannot use her arms as a result of typhoid fever she had as a child. “My daughter is at the age of marriage, and she cannot do anything for herself,” said Shamsuddin. “Her mother has helped her manage until now, but what will she do on her own?”
But his daughter’s marriage is not his only worry. Two years ago, Shamsuddin’s brothers broke into his home in Bangladesh and stabbed his wife. “They had repeatedly demanded the little money that I sent home. When she refused, they resorted to violence,” he said.
With near-fatal wounds, his wife spent several days in the hospital and his small earnings were eaten up by hospital bills. In spite of their crime, both his brothers escaped accountability when a council of “village elders” allowed them to go free.
In addition to the distress of not being able to meet the needs of his family, Shamsuddin also worries about his family’s safety and about his wife once again becoming a victim of his brothers’ rage. He tries to keep in touch with his family with a phone-call each month which costs around SR100, a hefty sum considering his income. His wife’s condition prompted Shamsuddin to return home for the first time in five years.
The ticket was expensive, and in spite of his tragic circumstances, his sponsor refused to help him. But such support was not to be expected considering the sponsor’s past injustices.
“Although I was hired to look after the mosque, my sponsor also makes me work in his house and never pays me any wages for the work. I have to pay for everything, including food and medical expenses. I recently injured my foot and had to spend SR500 from my pocket for the treatment. With all these expenses, there is almost nothing left to send home.”
Not all sponsors are so unjust. Some other Asian workers in Shamsuddin’s neighborhood have sponsors who provide them with food and clothing in addition to their wages. But such sponsors are few, and changing sponsorship can cost SR5,000. With his low income and the growing needs of his large family, Shamsuddin has turned to private work, such as washing cars, cleaning houses, running errands and doing other odd jobs for people in the local community. But since such work is illegal, Shamsuddin said he often finds himself confronting the police. He is nonetheless determined to continue working, legally or not, in order to provide for his family, although the small amount he sends them is usually not enough even to pay for their daily requirements.
“I have two older sons; one is still in school and the other is about to enter college. But they are hesitant about continuing their education and about using the money I send them to pay for school fees, since there isn’t enough money to meet my family’s basic needs.”
Shamsuddin has four sons and three daughters. His sons asked him to find them a job in Riyadh so that they can start earning money, but Shamsuddin said he will never allow his sons to discontinue their education and do the type of manual work he does. “I told them, ‘You will go to college, even if I have to beg in the streets,’” he said.
According to 2003 estimates, only 43.1 percent of the population in Bangladesh, aged 15 and over, can read and write. In spite of the hardship he and his family face, Shamsuddin hopes that by helping his children to pursue higher education, he will be able to give them a better life and a better future than his.
Summer is just another season in which Shamsuddin struggles to make that dream a reality. If you would like to help Shamsuddin and his family, please contact: 0509-870-831/4841668 for more information.