JEDDAH, 24 December 2005 — People having limited income in the Makkah region require more than 11,000 charitable houses, according to Princess Sarah bint Abdul Mohsen Al-Anqari, chairperson of the Higher Women’s Committee for Humanitarian and Social Services in Makkah.
“We have started another survey to identify the villages that require emergency projects to fight poverty, and we have set out a five-year plan to carry out such projects,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the princess as saying.
She said her organization has already established more than 400 modern houses for the poor in Tufail and Rabigh, at a total cost of SR165 million.
“We are currently building 120 houses for the victims of flash floods in Khulais,” she said. The project will serve 600 families.
The committee intends to hold a fund-raising exhibition beginning today at the Jeddah International Exhibitions Center. Proceeds from the two-weeklong show will be used to fund the committee’s charitable projects.
Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed will open the exhibition where more than 200 pavilions of both public and private establishments display their products and services. A charitable auction will also be held on the sidelines of the exhibition. About 60 rare copies of the Holy Qur’an, calligraphic writings of Qur’anic verses and antiques of historical importance will be on sale.
“The main objective of this exhibition and auction is to collect funds for the committee’s charitable projects,” said Princess Sarah. “It also aims at strengthening solidarity among all sections of society and promoting the economy by bringing together producers and consumers in the same venue,” she added.
She praised Saudi businessmen and women for their humanitarian gesture in support of the poor.
Princess Sarah said her committee was one of the first organizations to respond to the call of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to fight poverty and provide decent housing for the poor.
“We were the first to establish a model village for the poor in Tufail, in the heart of the desert,” she pointed out. The project included schools, health centers and mosques.
The committee established 100 housing units in another village in Abawa; constructed three residential buildings for the poor in Makkah; set up a center for the treatment of kidney patients in Taif; and spent SR4 million to pay debts of people with limited incomes.
In a related development, Tabuk Governor Prince Fahd ibn Sultan will today distribute keys of 84 low-cost housing units for the poor families in the villages of Shabaan and Hassa. The King Abdullah Charitable Housing Foundation constructed the houses at a total cost of SR31.5 million.
