The Ministry of Social Affairs has taken steps to improve living standards of villagers in rural, mountainous areas of Tihama Qahtan.
Tihama Qahtan is located in the governorate of Serat Abidah in Asir Province.
A committee recently appointed by the ministry has identified 560 families for social insurance payments in addition to 170 people for various welfare programs. The committee is also striving for the cooperation of tribal chiefs in those regions so that the ministry’s assistance can benefit the maximum number of people, a local daily reported recently.
A spokesman for the ministry, Khaled Al-Thubaity, said the Assistant Undersecretary at the Asir governorate, Ahmed Al-Qahtani, has recently launched a unit for social insurance service at Al-Farsha village in Serat Abidah. He said study on the needs of these remote villages has found that they needed social insurance. They also need training in various trades so they can work at home with rich animal resources available in the region.
“There are still families in the region who are unaware about the assistance available for them, according to the study conducted by the ministry,” he said.
Director of General Organization for Social Insurance in Asir province, Abdul Hakeem Al-Shahrani, said the ministry’s plan to assist families in these rural villages includes grants of cash assistance starting at SR 10,000 and going up to SR 30,000.
One in these villages have so far sought assistance for productive families, the study team said.
The group, comprising 30 researchers, studied 3,000 cases after visiting these villages and was convinced of the need to bring necessary support to these people.
The study team also stressed the need for better roads in the area.
Tihama Qahtan could be developed into a tourist destination as it features high mountains and green valleys and ravines while the weather is moderate both in summer and winter. The people in the region dress in a colorful style quite different from other parts of the Kingdom. They also carry weapons such as traditional daggers. The local dialect is also marked with some distinct features.
Efforts aim at raising living standard of Tihama Qahtan villagers
