More than 30 girls participated in “Al-Bedaia Al-Rashida” (The Wise Beginning) program, which provides training and premarital counseling about starting a family and avoiding divorce. The program is organized by the Women’s Social Committee in Al-Hamra district of Dammam.

The committee director, Haifa Al-Karona, said that the program which is in its sixth year, aims to educate girls about the fundamentals of building a happy family and providing them with the necessary life skills to enter into a “healthy married life.” Participants learn about married life, the art of social relations, planning for a successful marriage, as well as methods of choosing a life partner.

Al-Karona noted that these sessions are especially important due to the high incidence of divorce, especially in the first year of marriage. She said that the program included an introduction to the foundations of marriage, choosing a life partner, the provisions of the engagement period, psychological preparation for the wedding night, and issues related to pregnancy and birth control, as well as addressing the differences between couples and the rights and obligations of each party.

The three-day program also provided participants consultations with specialists from Dammam University, who advised them in a number of issues such as etiquette of dealing with husbands.

The supervisor of the program, Latifa Al-Jaafari, said: “We seek through these courses to prepare girls who are on their way to marriage to alleviate marital problems and reduce divorce rates.”

As some participants are on the verge of divorce, they considered these courses as their last chance to find a solution before it happens, she said.

The program is designed to ensure a permanent impact by continuous follow-ups with married women who engaged in the program, as is the case with the Family Development Center in Al-Ahsa. Al-Jaafari said that reports have indicated that within two years, divorce rates decreased from 24 percent to 14 percent of the total cases of divorce. “This is what we are working on currently,” she added. The program provided a definition of the concept of stewardship and efficiency in marriage, Al-Jaafari said, noting that there is a lack of knowledge about the concept of stewardship.