IN ONE of the old and forgotten districts of Jeddah, a new way of life is being shaped for dozens of underprivileged girls. The Presidency of Girls Education has begun a program to educate the girls in this neighborhood. The neighborhood is known for its high rates of crime and illiteracy. The main idea is to open the doors of public schools in the evening for those who would like to learn reading and writing along with some simple crafts.
The five-month long course started with forming classes for teaching reading and writing, basic computer skills, along with crafts such as embroidery, sewing, painting, and handicrafts. After almost two months, the school was ready to show some results of the project. A group of teachers, writers and social workers went to see for themselves what had been going on.
Walking into a clean schoolyard that was littered and filthy a short time before, one proud teacher told us that the school looked and felt as if it had been transformed and that everybody who visited it felt the same way.
Uniformed volunteer teachers were proudly showing off their students’ work. As the visitors entered a computer class, the girls, mainly in their teens, were happily waiting to show what they had learned. Standing in front of a painting of a dark horse full of life drawn on a checkered background, I found myself asking the girl who was adding touches of color to it how she felt about this painting. She looked at me with a soft smile and said, “I don’t know what it means but I felt it very much and I am learning how to paint better.” The teachers were proud of her work and one of them asked if she would sell it. The girl replied that she could never part with it as it meant so much to her. The other girls were showing embroidered sheets, decorated vases and candles. Some of the work was primitively finished but the hands that made them were still trying to add touches to complete what to them was going to be a life-supporting craft.
The manager of the project was beaming with pride as she told the visitors that at the end of the five-month project, these girls would be taken to proper training centers so that they could find real jobs later on. For her, the main objective was to open a door so that some of our society’s forgotten citizens could enjoy both dignity and meaning in their lives. She explained that this neighborhood was one of the more dangerous in south Jeddah. It is one in which terrorists, drug dealers and thieves thrive and carry out their illegal operations. Going into the area and trying to introduce such values as work, honesty and pride in one’s work, no matter how small, was a big step. Laughingly, she added, “I hope that one day we can introduce them to what it means to be a good citizen of this country and maybe we can talk to them about elections.”
One of the girls showed me some graphics she had done on her computer saying that she wanted to learn more about computers and their programs.
Working on a minimal budget and with the assistance of volunteers, the project has gained momentum and at the end of five months, an exhibition of the girls’ work will be held and the money it raises will be given to them so that they can start a new life.
A sociology professor pointed out that this experience should be documented with both positive and the negative points noted down. Seizing the idea, a magazine is being prepared to deal with this experience and any future ones. A website is also being established. Another activist said that there should be coordination between the work team and training centers in Jeddah so that after the course, the girls will have a chance to train extensively in a craft. Another said that businesswomen should be involved in providing jobs for the girls.
The manager went on to say that the eagerness she found in the girls convinced her that if there are problems, one must find a way to solve them. In a country with rising unemployment, this small project is an example of what can be done to prepare men and women for work, even if they lack formal qualifications. The important thing is to start from scratch and then other agencies should pick up from there and continue the training. Instead of giving up on illiterate and unqualified individuals, we should find ways of transforming their lives so they can become happy and productive members of our society.
