JEDDAH, 3 October 2006 — The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) and the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) signed an agreement yesterday to help families dependent on welfare become more productive by learning new work-related skills.
The agreement in its first phase aims to provide 1,000 families living in areas by the sea with training to develop their fishing skills. The project will also provide the families with new facilities and will focus on areas including Al-Leith, Al-Qunfuda, Rabigh and Thuwal.
Saleh Al-Turky, chairman of the JCCI, signed the agreement with Abdullah Al-Tawi, manager of the social insurance office in Makkah region, at the JCCI yesterday.
Ulfat Qabbani, JCCI board member, said that the project aims at teaching families new skills that would help them become active, productive and self-dependant.
The agreement states that GOSI would be responsible for building small harbors in the areas of aid and providing boats to needy families while the JCCI would construct fish markets, coolers and would transport and market the fish harvest around the Kingdom and arrange for their possible export, said Qabbani.
She said that the project is receiving full support from Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed and added that the JCCI is eager to get the project up and running as soon as possible.
The JCCI has finalized a working plan for the project to ensure workflow. They would consult professional architects for the designs of the small harbors and make a comparison between the floating and fixed harbors to see which is more beneficial for fishermen.
Qabbani said that all harbors would be built with complete facilities including mosques, cafeterias and rest houses.
The Ministry of Social Affairs recently decided to give fishing boats to deserving people living around the Gulf and Red Sea coasts to help them find regular income.
A senior official said the program was launched after a pilot project undertaken by the ministry in Al-Gahma coast in the Asir Province proved a big success.
The ministry offers financial grants worth SR512 million annually to some 450,000 families spread throughout the Kingdom.
