JEDDAH, 16 March 2008 — The Kingdom has set up a national charitable fund to improve the living conditions of the poor, Social Affairs Minister Abdul Mohsen Al-Akkas has said.

The fund receives SR300 million from the government in annual aid, the minister said. “We also receive donations from philanthropists and businessmen,” he said. “We are studying prospects of investing part of this amount in lucrative projects.”

The minister said the state was supporting thousands of poor families across the country. “We have a plan to convert these poor families into productive families by providing them with soft loans to implement small-scale projects,” he said.

The fund has already given SR22 million for 1,949 small-scale projects and SR35 million to support productive families. It has allocated SR80 million for scholarship and training programs. It has so far given 1,853 scholarships to deserving students in different parts of the country.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper recently, the minister said the scholarships were given to specialize in those subjects that are required by the job market, such as nursing, networking, medical laboratory, and X-ray technology and naturopathy.

“We have found jobs for 584 graduates after completing their studies in various professions,” he added.

Elaborating on the ministry’s efforts to encourage poor families to carry out small-scale projects, Al-Akkas said the fund would bear 10 percent of administrative and operational expenditures of such projects.

He emphasized the government’s support for women to develop their capabilities and protect their rights, adding that a large number of qualified and talented women have been working in different departments and institutions under his ministry.

He the ministry’s plan to establish social protection center in different parts of the Kingdom in coordination with the Finance Ministry. “Our centers will take care of women who had to leave their homes as a result of family violence and children who do not have anybody to look after them,” he added.

Al-Akkas said the ministry would provide support, including technical assistance, to civic societies and organizations. The ministry has so far licensed 434 charitable societies and 45 private charities in the country.