JEDDAH, 19 May 2007 — Riyadh Gov. Prince Salman opened a center for handicapped children in Hail on Thursday night and gave SR2 million to the charitable project, which is named after him. Crown Prince Sultan has donated SR10 million to the center, the Saudi Press Agency said yesterday.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Prince Salman called upon Saudis to get into a competitive spirit with one another in raising funds and doing work for charitable activities and caring for the needy.
“Our government provides every encouragement to charitable activities and we can see many philanthropists across the country,” said the governor. “Charitable activities should not be limited to a particular city or region. It should be everywhere.”
The governor told businessmen and philanthropists that the Zakat and Sadaqa (compulsory and voluntary charity) they give to the Disabled Children’s Association, which runs the Hail center, are in safe hands.
Salman praised Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for visiting the Kingdom’s different regions to see for himself the conditions of his citizens and the progress in different sectors.
He said he had accompanied the king in his recent tour of the northwestern regions, including Al-Jouf and Tabuk. The king launched a number of educational, health and infrastructure projects during the visit.
“Our ambition to make greater progress will make us work hard in order to achieve our goals,” said the governor, while noting the role played by Saudi leaders beginning from King Abdul Aziz until King Abdullah for strengthening the unity and solidarity of the Saudi people.
“Ours is a society that has been supporting one another much before the arrival of modern administrative systems,” he said. “People ask about the condition of their neighbors ... and they care for each other. They share whatever they have, even at times of hardships.”
Businessmen and philanthropists donated a total of SR12.5 million to maintain the center that can accommodate 100 handicapped children. Prince Salman also gave SR1.5 million to build a mosque for the center.
Speaking at the ceremony, Hail Gov. Prince Saud ibn Abdul Mohsen described Salman as a great Arab and Islamic leader. “We are proud of naming this center after Prince Salman,” Saud said.
Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of the Supreme Commission for Tourism and chairman of DCA, thanked the Riyadh governor for his continuous support to the DCA since its establishment 25 years ago.
“This is the sixth such center under the association and it provides comprehensive care to the handicapped children,” he said.
The DCA, Sultan said, would establish an endowment as a permanent source of income to meet expenses of the Hail center. Located on the Hail-Madinah Road, the center covers an area of 5,200 square meters. It will provide health, educational and rehabilitation services to handicapped children of the region. The center was initially built at a cost of SR12 million, which was donated by Dr. Nasser ibn Ibrahim Al-Rasheed.
