JEDDAH: Seven young Saudi volunteers spent the last three days giving away free school bags — including essential school supplies — to children of needy families in the poorer districts of Jeddah to prepare them for the first day of the new school year yesterday.
The group of volunteers headed by Nasser Bilbissi, a 21-year-old college student, went with their cars to the houses of the needy families around several southern districts to give away the donations.
Bilbissi said that they received 150 school bags and girl’s uniforms from a donor for distribution.
“We contacted the needy families in our databank and arranged scheduled visits to give away the goods,” he said.
The group has categorized the school bags according to educational grade and gender, and then split into shifts to cover all the areas. “We have two women volunteers in order to give the bags to ladies who live alone with their children,” he said.
Meanwhile, the first day of school in Jeddah started with full attendance by both students and teachers. Students were seen in the early morning with their white thobes (Saudi traditional dress) and school bags in the hundreds on their way to school.
Sami Naser, a 15-year-old student at Okaz Secondary School, said that his class was full.
“Usually many students skip the first day of school, but this year the whole class was there,” he said.
Naser said he was excited to come back to school because the summer vacation was too long.
Ahmad Hilmi, a 17-year-old student of Al-Shati Secondary School, said that many of his classmates were absent on the first day.
“Many are still abroad and couldn’t get confirmed flight tickets, while others are just taking it easy and won’t show up until next week,” he said.
Jam’an Al-Ghamdi, a teacher at Ibn Al-Baitar Secondary School, said that classes started normally and students were given assignments from the first day itself.
He said that usually students and some teachers have a laid back approach during the first week of school, but this year because of the long vacation, everyone was fresh and ready for the new school year.
Al-Ghamdi said that attendance is strictly monitored and students who don’t show up in the first few days without a proper reason would be punished.
SABB program
As part of its community welfare program, SABB donated 3,000 school bags to the so-called “School Bag Program” of the Riyadh Orphans Care Charitable Society (INSAN).
“This donation comes under the umbrella of SABB in the Community Programs,” said Ibrahim S. Abo-Mouti, head of corporate communications at SABB.
— With input by Mohammed Rasooldeen
