JEDDAH, 18 July 2006 — A Saudi philanthropist is to take financial care of 500 Indonesian children who were orphaned as a result of the devastating tsunami that hit the archipelago and other Southeast Asian countries in December 2004.

An agreement for the project was signed in Jeddah on Monday at a ceremony held at the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) headquarters. Signatories of the project included IDB President Dr. Ahmed Muhammad Ali, Ambassador Atta Mannan Bakheet on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and a representative of the donor who asked not to be identified.

The cost of the project is said to be SR10 million ($2.7 million). The 500 orphans will be looked after until they reach the age of puberty.

OIC member states have extended generous assistance not only to Indonesia but also to other countries that were affected in the tsunami.

OIC member states and its subsidiary organs have so far contributed more than $661,700,000 in relief to the affected Southeast Asian states.

“This dedicated support epitomizes the spirit of Islamic solidarity that is characteristic of the member states and the subsidiary organs that stand by the side of the sisterly world countries in times of crises,” OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia had extended nearly $30 million in urgent relief and humanitarian aid in addition to establishing an air bridge for the transportation of food and medical supplies. Also, the Kingdom organized a public campaign for the collection of donations that generated SR308 million.

Among the OIC subsidiary organs, the IDB topped donations by offering $500 million and the Islamic Solidarity Fund gave $200,000.

Moreover, IDB had sent missions to Indonesia, the Maldives and Sri Lanka to provide grants for immediate relief assistance to the victims of the tsunami disaster.

Recently the IDB and Indonesia signed an agreement to extend $36 million for the reconstruction of IAIN Ar-Rniry University in Aceh under the IDB Tsunami Emergency Assistance Program in Indonesia.

An agreement was also signed by the two parties articulating the bank’s role in supervising the establishment and accommodation of two orphan schools donated by the Saudi Charity Campaign for Relief of Tsunami Victims.

At that time the IDB president had said that one of the schools for orphans, which was financed by the bank, would be completed in a few months and be handed over to the Indonesian government.