“I had to wait several months to complete the tough conditions stipulated by the charity before I became finally eligible. Not only did I have to produce certificates to prove my penurious circumstance, I also had to produce recommendations from some known personalities attesting that my claims are not false,” said Ahmad S., a recipient of charity in Jeddah.

Umm Hani, another recipient, agrees. “My name was not included in the list of beneficiaries despite the fact that I am a widow and have a number of children to feed and educate for which I have no source of income,” said Umm Hani.

She added that she had to get the help of some local dignitaries to convince the officials at the charity that she is genuinely in need of assistance.

Charities, on the other hand, said they sincerely wish to help the poor. “But we do not want the charity money to be given  to cheaters and frauds. The money which is given to us by the government or private benefactors who have full trust that the money will be given to deserving persons,” said the official of a charity organization who did not want his name to be  published.

He added that the most common problem officials face is that many families applying for help fail to supply correct and proper data about their families. “The lack of data or wrong information makes it difficult for our organization to draw up an effective plan to help a family even if they deserve it,” he said.

An official of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth, a leading source of charity aid, said, “Lately, many cases of applicants producing forged documents to receive charity have been detected. These applicants just wanted easy money.”

There should be close cooperation and coordination between various charity organizations to investigate applicants even though the Labor Ministry is the competent authority to oversee their activities,” he said.