JEDDAH: Ahmed bin Saad Al-Mufreh, a member of the Shoura Council, has called for the establishment of an association under the Ministry of Interior to organize and promote volunteer work in the country.
“Governments alone will not be able to do everything during crises and need the support of citizens,” he pointed out in an interview published in Thursday’s Al-Madinah newspaper. He said the Nov. 25 Jeddah flood catastrophe necessitated the formation of such a volunteer organization in order to make use of the efforts of people, especially youths, who are ready to volunteer their services.
Al-Mufreh said the proposed association would provide necessary training to volunteers in various fields and give them moral and material support. It would also make volunteer work more systematic by setting out certain rules and regulations, he added. He commended the people of Jeddah for the excellent work they have done in providing relief and assistance of the flood victims. A number of seminars and conferences in the past had discussed the need for a volunteer association. Shoura member Abdul Rahman Al-Suwailem presented a proposal to the consultative body on setting up such an association about two years ago.
“Most Muslims love to engage in volunteer work in order to help fellow human beings, inspired by the teachings of Islam and expecting rewards from God. The work of volunteers after the Jeddah tragedy is a good example,” he was quoted as saying.
Al-Mufreh said the volunteer association would be able to use the untapped energy of young men and women in the service of society.
“This will also help change the attitude of the youth toward society and channel their efforts to constructive activities,” he said. He said there is thousands of young men and women ready to volunteer their services but they do not find a suitable organization to work with. “So we are in need of a Saudi volunteer society under the umbrella of the Interior Ministry,” he pointed out.
