Haffar village, three hours drive from Jeddah, is inhabited only by Saudis. "It is a tribal village so everyone is related," said one of the caravan members Faisal Bukhari. The caravan was sent by Zamzam Society, a charitable organization.

Bukhari said the whole journey was exhausting because the caravan was driving off road most of the time.

“The buildings in the village are old. We stayed in a school building, which is the only school in the village that teaches elementary, middle and high school children,” he added. Bukhari said that the school has poor facilities, while most of the villagers did not migrate to big cities.

“We stayed one full day in the village and served patients. Most of the people that came were elderly people and children. Teenagers also came for a medical check up after they finished school and their shepherd jobs,” he said.

According to Bukhari, none of the residents of this remote village had heard of a medical checkup before.

“When we asked them to visit the nearest health care center, which is 30 km away from the village, they were reluctant because of the distance or because most of them do not have a mode of transportation,” he said.

The caravan treated a 70-year-old man who said he has never visited a health care center or sat in a car before. The man suffered from bone problems, high blood pressure and diabetes.

The caravan also treated a young man who can only see with one eye. He said that he never thought of visiting a hospital since the other eye was working.

“We treated a young girl who was suffering from high fever. The family of the girl ignored her condition because there was nothing that they could do to treat her,” Bukhari said.

He added that there was a strong family relation between all the members of the village. They noticed that most of the men in the village are married to more than one woman and most were searching for a fourth wife.

A survey conducted by the caravan revealed an increase in the number of people suffering from diabetes, blood pressure, breathing problems, allergies and many other illnesses.

Seven doctors traveled with the caravan. Adel Meshabi, head of the society, said that doctors from various health specialties took part in the mission.

The Zamzam Society is encouraging volunteers for community work and providing health services to needy people in the Makkah region.