RAS TANURA, 29 November 2003 — “This is a happy Eid for me and all my friends,” said Yisra Abdul Rahman. “We have had such a good time here. Ras Tanura is beautiful. More beautiful than I had imagined. And this is the first time I ever had the chance to experience such a nice program with so many activities in one day. I love it that we are spending Eid outdoors. It is better than any Eid I had before.”
Yisra, a resident of Dar Al-Tarbeyah Al-Ejtimaeyyah in Al-Ahsa, was one of more than 400 orphans and their caregivers who were hosted by Saudi Aramco for a fun-filled program on the third day of Eid. The orphans were brought from seven care centers in the Eastern Province to take advantage of Saudi Aramco’s excellent recreation facilities at Ras Tanura, the world’s largest petroleum port. Over the course of the day the children played electronic arcade games, watched a movie at the cinema, frolicked on the beach, visited the yacht club, giggled at a party and received gifts donated by members of the Saudi Aramco community. Their smiling, cheerful faces broke language barriers and hearts as a multinational team of volunteers worked throughout the day to give these youngsters a special Eid memory.
“Departments across Saudi Aramco have been working for months to make this day a success,” said Sulaiman Arjah, manager, Northern Area Community Services Department, Saudi Aramco. “We feel proud to have the opportunity to bring joy into the lives of these orphans. Today’s event is just one way that members of the Saudi Aramco family are joining together to demonstrate the spirit of corporate citizenship within the company to the wider community.”
The Eid celebration for orphans was conceived as a part of Saudi Aramco’s Community Outreach Program. This program enables Saudi Aramco to channel the goodness of Saudi Aramco expertise and resources to benefit the general community across the Kingdom and even beyond. Several departments within Saudi Aramco, including Saudi Aramco Medical Services Organization (SAMSO), Fire Fighting, Transportation, Industrial Security, Ras Tanura Community Services and Public Relations joined in the effort to make Thursday’s event a success.
It’s hard to imagine how the day could have gone better. The weather was perfect, slightly windy but warm. The children were nearly stunned with all the activities put before them. And the smiles on the faces of the volunteers grew broader as they witnessed the joy unfold.
“While we have been sensitive to the cultural needs by having separate programs today for the boys and girls, we have created for all the children the same wonderful experience,” said Saeid S. Al-Shahrani, director, Saudi Aramco’s Community Outreach Program. “Corporate management at Saudi Aramco has advocated the expansion of our community work and is actively encouraging the concept of volunteerism. I salute them for promoting such worthy causes and hope to see all Saudi Aramco employees involved in these efforts.”
Eleven-year-old Sagir from the Prince Sultan Center in Dammam seconds that sentiment, as he would like to come back to Ras Tanura for Eid next year.
“I played a lot today,” he said quite seriously. “I played and played and played. I got to eat cake, too. Don’t worry I ate rice and salad, too. And then I played ball. Now, I’m going to watch a cartoon movie and I don’t want to be late.” Off he went with his pals.
There were children of all ages at the event but none of the older ones seemed to mind spending the day with the little ones.
“I liked the beach best and the boat club was excellent. Of course I hope Saudi Aramco will invite us again and I want to thank them for all they did for us today,” said 18-year-old Maram Abdul Ghani. “Some of the activities were more for the babies than for girls like me but that was okay because the place is great. Like I mentioned before, I just wish we can come again.”
It was not only Saudi Aramco employees who gave their time for the Eid event. Eleven members of the National Honor Society (NHS) at Dhahran High School, part of the International Schools Group, volunteered to help out for the day.
“We’ve tried to do things with underprivileged children before, but we never got the chance to interact with them directly,” said Kay D’souza, NHS president. “It’s been a great experience for us today — really rewarding.”
“Yes, this is not one sided,” added Thuraya Haddad, NHS member. “The orphans had fun today and we had a good time, too. Not all the NHS members speak Arabic but we quickly found out that laughter is a universal language.”
As impressive as the event in Ras Tanura was, Nasser A. Al-Nafisee, manager, Public Relations, Saudi Aramco, provided even more inspiring information about his company’s Eid effort for orphans Kingdomwide. Over 2,000 gifts were donated for the orphans by Saudi Aramco employees and their families. In addition to the Ras Tanura program, special events for orphans were hosted by Saudi Aramco in Riyadh, Jeddah, Yanbu and Rabigh.
“The social responsibility of Saudi Aramco is manifested in caring about our environment and our society,” said Al-Nafisee. “When you have dear, valued guests you want to take them to the best places and offer them the best you have. This is what we have done today. The concept of volunteerism is part of our values and our beliefs, our teaching and traditions, for both Saudi Aramco and Saudi Arabia.”
