JEDDAH: Over a billion tons of foods in the world finds its way to garbage containers and dumps, said Ahmad bin Amer Al-Harbi, head of the Volunteerism Unit.

Al-Harbi said that in the Kingdom alone, about 75,000 tons of rice is wasted annually. In addition, about 16 million meals in the center and east of the Kingdom are wasted daily that means the waste amount exceed the rest of the world.”

He was speaking at an event to launch of an initiative titled, ‘So that the graces do not go away’ to disseminate a culture of preserving and maintaining the graces that Allah Almighty has given to the people.

Inaugurated by Hamed Al-Shunaiber, the acting director-general of the Riyadh Education Department, the function was attended by Director of the Student Activities Department Anwar Abu Abaa, Assistant Director of the Swedish Office for School Affairs Mansour Al-Anqari, Director of Public Relations Khalid Al-Beshr, Media Supervisor Ahmad Al-Ahmari and General Supervisor of Al-Majd Schools Bandar Al-Salman among others.

The Volunteerism Unit vowed to work on the implementation of the initiative by holding workshops and training courses, by producing awareness films on the topic, and delivering religious lectures starting from next week at forty secondary schools, Al-Harbi assured.

He said the Volunteerism Unit will work on the implementation of the initiative by holding workshops and training courses, by producing awareness films on the topic, and delivering religious lectures starting from next week at 40 secondary schools.

In this regard, he said about 1,200 students will be trained along with six teachers who will be the ambassadors for the Al-Itam Society. “This is in order to collectively reject the wastefulness and extravagance exhibited by some in an effort to ‘show off’, he said and noted that we should instead accept the blessed graces given to us, and must invest in the means to preserve and maintain such graces by Allah Almighty.

The Unit will hold 40 training courses and distribute 100 meals per day for the needy during the initiative, with about 45 students working in the field.

During the inauguration ceremony, a number of films and photos were displayed to reflect some of the wastefulness and extravagance in the community. Hamed Al-Shunaiber, the acting Director-General for Riyadh Education Department, extended his gratitude and thanks to those in charge of this initiative during his opening speech.