JEDDAH, 16 October — Prince Faisal ibn Abdullah opened an exhibition of rare postage stamps and franked letters tracing the development of postal services in the Arabian Peninsula over the last 200 years.
The letters and stamps are from the private collection of Jeddah businessman Tarik Alireza.
The collection was the inspiration for a series of greeting cards produced to raise funds for the National Homecare Foundation, a charity founded in 1997 by Princess Hessa Al Shalan.
The exhibition aims to raise the profile of the charity and to launch for 2002 the unique greeting cards which will help sustain the flow of funds essential to continue its work.
Historically important items, including letters of H. St.John Philby, explorer and Arabist who crossed the Empty Quarter on foot 70 years ago, were photographed and incorporated into the designs.
The charity’s main objective is to provide long-term medical care to patients who need extended care but are able to receive it in their own homes from their families.
The foundation, in cooperation with the King Khaled Hospital, Jeddah, provides medical equipment, money and medical attention.
More importantly, it helps reintegrate patients, through human contact and social activities, with their families and the society.
In his address to the guests, Prince Faisal acknowledged that the charity was founded and is run overwhelmingly by women. "The most important reason for attending today’s gathering is that it highlights the role of women in our society," he said.
Commenting on the core objective of the charity, he said: "It is really important to appreciate that this program has given bed-ridden patients, who were living in virtual isolation, the opportunity to return to their homes, where they are able to get the treatment they need along with the family attention they deserve."
An indirect benefit of the charity is that, by releasing a bed in a hospital for critical patients, the charity helps save the medical system money.
"When the limitations of some of our government hospitals were discovered, this program was developed with the government’s full support, which in turn was successful in saving us between SR40 and SR50 million."
The exhibition continues until the end of this week at the Design Centre (adjacent to Sofitel Hotel), Palestine Street, Jeddah, with family days on Thursday and Friday.
