JEDDAH, 26 July 2004 — Crown Prince Abdullah thanked Muhammad Abdul Latif Jameel for the cooperation between his group, Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) Company and the Saudi Red Crescent.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, the crown prince said he had been briefed on the generosity of the ALJ group in making available two helicopters for use by the Saudi Red Crescent. The helicopters will serve as air ambulances to attend to road accidents in the Makkah Region. ALJ has also provided the funds necessary to cover the maintenance expenses of the helicopters for three years until the Red Crescent can raise their own funds.
“The president of the Red Crescent also discussed your visit to their center in Riyadh and your contribution of SR8 million for the center’s activities,” the crown prince said to Jameel. “Such initiative must be acknowledged and I urge other businessmen to follow in your example in order to best support their country and religion.”
Muhammad Abdul Latif Jameel has long been a stalwart supporter of the Saudi Red Crescent. A few years ago the ALJ group provided nine of the Jeddah municipality’s 10 new ambulances. These substantially reduced the response time of the Saudi Red Crescent to emergencies in the city. ALJ supported the Red Crescent program that certified the first batch of Saudi-trained paramedics to provide greatly enhanced emergency cover for the municipal area and expressways around Jeddah. Thanks to ALJ, Red Crescent buildings were built in Obhur and Bahra and Red Crescent personnel were trained in the Makkah Region.
ALJ also set up a monitoring system for Red Crescent vehicles and contributed to the organization of a mobile intensive care unit, the first of its kind in the Kingdom.
ALJ is the world’s largest Toyota dealership and in Saudi Arabia operates the Kingdom’s largest consumer finance company. The group’s philanthropic activities are internationally known. At the ALJ website, a message posted by Muhammad Jameel, the group’s president reads:
“ALJ has enjoyed the privilege of serving the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for more than 50 years and expects to continue to serve into the future. The company hopes and expects its diverse development programs will serve as an example and model for all those who wish to invest time, experience and resources into the community throughout the Kingdom.
“ALJ has put emphasis on education, training and development to assist the younger generations to achieve independence and self-sustainability. We have also provided assistance to medical services for the benefit of the broader community, particularly those in remote areas of the Kingdom.”
