RIYADH, 15 September 2006 — Dozens of poor Saudi families have become beneficiaries of the immense generosity of the donors to the Prince Salman Charitable Housing Project. Seventy-seven public housing units have been completed on a 35,000 square meter area in Riyadh at a cost of approximately SR30 million ($8 million), the third housing project of its kind in the capital; three more are in the works in the Al-Dawadmi, Al-Quwaeiya and Al-Zulfi districts of the capital. The Ministry of Social and Rural Affairs provided furnishings for the homes.
According to Abdul Aziz Al-Masood, assistant secretary general of the charity, the aim of the housing projects is not just to provide housing units for the poor but also to rehabilitate and train needy Saudi citizens to make them more productive members of society.
“So far we have trained more than 300 men and women in various programs, such as English, computer training and sewing,” he said during his opening speech at the event. “We have also treated 3,000 persons who needed medical attention.”
Dozens of poor Saudi families finally found their stability and comfort last week as they were given the keys to their new homes. Riyadh Governor Prince Salman was present at the inauguration of the project under the motto “Development of the Human Being Is Through Housing.”
The new public housing project includes playgrounds and two guidance centers, for men and women, where lectures and public festivities will be held. In the complex’s main mosque, classes for memorization of the Holy Qur’an will be held for children.
Masood said the previous two projects have succeeded in making needy Saudi citizens dependent on themselves, rather than relying on others.
He also mentioned that this most recent project in Al-Jaradiya has received the Prince Muhammad ibn Fahd Award this year, in addition to being nominated as one of the top housing units for its design in an international housing project award sponsored by the United Nations. He said that by the time the other projects are completed, 700 Saudi families would have new homes.
Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh, who attended the ceremony last week, said that providing housing units for the poor was a good deed that reflects the generosity and unity of the people of the Kingdom. He called on citizens and good people to invest with Almighty in such projects by making donations that would help Muslim families prosper.
Prince Salman said the government was keen on providing a prosperous life for all its citizens. “The government has constructed hundreds of housing projects in various parts of the Kingdom due to the increase in population and the development the country has been witnessing,” he said. “Housing crises are a global problem which all countries and societies are suffering from.”
Prince Salman thanked all businessmen and donors to the three housing projects, saying that without the grace of God, the projects would not have been completed. The Prince Salman Charitable Housing Project was established in 1998 when a group of philanthropists expressed their desire to provide homes for needy families in the Kingdom.
The founders expressed their idea to the late grand mufti of the Kingdom, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Baz. The grand mufti then brought the idea to the attention of the governor of Riyadh who instructed a special team to study the idea under the auspices of Al-Birr Charity in Riyadh. A special committee discussed the matter and the establishment of the charity was announced in the same year. The board of directors decided to name the project after Prince Salman due to his well-known charitable deeds in the community.
Donations for the other housing projects can be made in numerous banks in the Kingdom.
