DAMMAM: More than 2,782 small projects were funded in 2013 through Bab Rizq Jameel (BRJ), an initiative of Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives (ALJCI), to support small projects, said Ahmed Saeed Al-Zahrani, BRJ director general in the Eastern Province.

“The BRJ also provided several financing programs that funded about 29,419 productive families’ projects, 2,348 women in the Working Remotely Program, 450 young men in the Ownership of Transport Vehicles Program, and more than 552 young men in the Ownership of Taxis Program,” said Al-Zahrani.

He said that ALJCI aimed to include small and micro enterprises in proportion to the requirements of government agencies, as well as provide the most flexible funding in accordance with young men’s and women’s needs in order to increase the number of beneficiaries of the programs.

On the full-time requirement for applicants, Al-Zahrani said: “The goal of the financing of these projects is to create jobs for young people, and there are guarantees with certain terms for small projects programs in line with the financing needs in this area and the quality and size of the project.”

A group of young people talked about their ideas, which has taken them into the world of commerce.

Sultan Al-Mutairi, 31, said: “I work as a government employee at a full-time job in the morning, and then work in updating users’ data registered in Hafiz Unemployment Program for SR50 monthly per individual.” He said that this job required no capital but only free time and an Internet connection.

Amal Sultan, who graduated from university six years ago, said: “I started in fashion design as an amateur, and then I offered the idea of a project to Riyadah Institute that approved financing. I did not face any difficulties in the submission of the application due to the remarkable facilities presented there.”

Thoraya complained of the difficult terms and little finance that she found when applying to Riyadah Institute to get support for her home cooking project. She was forced to rent a shop and is still waiting for financial support.

Rayan Al-Zenaidi, a photographer, said: “I experienced many difficulties in financing my photographic project. As an employee, I cannot get support from the authorities supporting small projects, because they require that the applicant must be full-time, along with other difficult conditions.”