JEDDAH: Indian expatriate workers from the state of Kerala have set a good example for other communities by offering a variety of volunteer services to the guests of God, especially Indian pilgrims.
Chemban Abbas, chairman of the Jeddah Haj Welfare Forum (JHWF), said his organization, which comprises members of 20 organizations, is to deploy more than 500 volunteers for pilgrim service this year.
Addressing a press conference, he said the forum is to distribute free food among 8,000 pilgrims in Mina from the 10th of Dhul Hijjah. JHWF volunteers have already begun their services at the Haj Terminal of Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz Airport and in Makkah. They distribute free refreshments among 2,500 pilgrims at the airport every day.
As many as 650 volunteers have registered with the forum, Abbas said. A training program for volunteer captains was held at Al-Noor Medical Center in Sharafiyah. Razak Master is the chief volunteer captain.
JHWF also distributes Haj booklets, places posters explaining precautionary measures to be taken against H1N1 at buildings housing pilgrims in Makkah, and distributes medicine to sick pilgrims.
The forum has the full support of the Indian Consulate General and the Indian Haj mission, said Convener N. Muhammad Kutty. Organizations from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are also cooperating with the forum, he added.
Kutty said that the forum this year would focus more on creating swine flu awareness by distributing multilingual booklets and placing posters in English, Malayalam, Urdu and Hindi.
The forum, which has been providing this service for the last nine years, has won the applause of pilgrims. “Though the Indian Consulate and Haj mission make necessary arrangements to receive pilgrims, the majority of them need volunteer support because of communication problems,” Abbas said.
The forum also has 80 wheelchairs for sick and elderly pilgrims and makes burial arrangements for deceased pilgrims in association with the consulate and Haj mission. It also assists pilgrims to recover lost property.
“We also liaise with mutawif representatives on issues and problems related to pilgrims,” Kutty said. He added that the Indian Central Haj Committee has recognized the forum’s services and is providing it with needed support and information about Indian pilgrims.
“We have established a helpdesk service in Jeddah to provide information to the relatives of incoming Hajis,” Kutty said. The forum’s secretary, Nasser Edavanakkad, and treasurer, C.V. Abubacker Koya, also attended the press conference.