JEDDAH: James D. Wolfensohn, former World Bank president and leading international financier, visited Bab Rizq Jameel, an initiative of Abdul Latif Jameel Community Services Programs (ALJCSP) recently. Ibrahim Mohammed Badawood, managing director of ALJCSP conducted him on a tour to explore activities and programs that the organization provides.
A short presentation was given on Bab Rizq Jameel including the programs of training and employment it provides, which range from direct employment, productive household and small project finance to taxi and truck ownership programs.
Badawood stated that ALJCSP, since the beginning of 2008, has provided employment for 5,355 young males and females in private sector, while job opportunities have been created for 3,736 young males and females through training ending with employment programs. In the area of supporting females, the productive household program created 13,822 job opportunities since the beginning of this year.
Its small project finance program financed 1,440 young males and females to start their own small projects, while 395 opportunities and 269 opportunities have been created through the taxi and truck ownership programs, respectively. Since the beginning of this year, a total of 25,000 job opportunities have been created for young males and females throughout the Kingdom.
Wolfensohn expressed his pleasure over the visit and thanked Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel for the invitation. “Bab Rizq Jameel is setting a role model for the whole world,” he said.
Jameel appreciated the visit of Wolfensohn, especially that he has made a positive impact on one of the leading credit institutions in the world during his tenure in the World Bank.
Wolfensohn headed the World Bank in two successive sessions that ended on Jan. 7, 2005. During his 10-year tenure, the bank experienced outstanding developments in several areas. Wolfensohn was especially interested in alleviating poverty throughout the world.