JEDDAH, 1 November 2005 — A new charitable organization named after King Fahd has been established. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has given his approval to the charity.
Prince Muhammad ibn Fahd, governor of the Eastern Province, thanked the king for agreeing to the establishment of the King Fahd Charitable Foundation.
“The organization will help continue the charitable activities carried out by the late king,” who died on Aug. 1, the prince said.
King Fahd set a good example for the Saudi people in charitable activities, he pointed out. “The foundation will take care of the various charitable projects begun by the late king,” he added. The rules and regulations of the charity as well as its board of trustees will be announced shortly.
There are more than 80 charitable societies and foundations registered with the Ministry of Social Affairs. They play a big role in helping the poor and needy and in promoting charitable activities in the country.
King Abdullah Charitable Housing Foundation, which was established three years ago, has embarked on a major project to build low-cost housing units in different parts of the Kingdom in order to provide decent housing for the poor.
The Sultan Charitable Foundation, named after Crown Prince Sultan, has been engaged in humanitarian, medical, educational and housing projects since it was established 11 years ago.
Prince Sultan yesterday donated SR1 million to the Charitable Society for the Care of Orphans in Riyadh (Insan). The society cares for 14,700 orphans, providing them with food, healthcare, education, training, employment and marriage assistance.
Prince Muhammad donated SR500,000 to Al-Birr Charitable Society in Al-Ahsa. Dr. Abdul Mohsen Al-Arfaj, director of the charity, said the donation would support the society’s projects.
The agency for social insurance and low-cost housing takes care of 367,000 families in the Kingdom and spends more than SR3 billion on these families annually, according to Social Affairs Minister Abdul Mohsen Al-Akkas. “We provide them with various services from our 78 offices scattered all over the Kingdom,” he said.
Al-Akkas commended the recent decision taken by King Abdullah raising the maximum annual pension from SR16,200 to SR28,000. The king also raised the allocation for low-cost housing units from SR2 billion to SR10 billion.
Saudi Arabia has been regularly spending billions of riyals every year in Islamic and humanitarian projects both inside and outside the Kingdom. According to a recent speech by Prince Sultan to the UN General Assembly, the Kingdom gave four percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) in foreign aid; this aid benefits 83 countries. Saudi Arabia tops the list of countries extending foreign aid, he added.
The Kingdom has contributed more than $24 billion to development organizations around the world, especially in Arab and Islamic countries. “Saudi Arabia stands second after the US in the foreign remittances of expatriate workers,” Prince Sultan said, adding that these remittances are an important source of foreign currency and financial resources for many countries.
“We have written off foreign debts of $6 billion owed by many poor countries and given debt remission to other countries,” the prince said. He urged developed countries to fulfill their pledges by dedicating a portion of their national revenue to development aid.
