Volunteers in Jeddah have formed a group called Basmat Amal (Smile of Hope) to provide support and entertainment for sick children.

The group comprising 100 male and female volunteers organizes parties in different hospitals for children suffering from cancer, AIDS and leukemia.

“Ours is an effort to help those afflicted children interact with other normal children so that they do not feel isolated,” said Ribhi Yahya, co-founder of Basmat Amal. “We organized events at King Abdulaziz University Hospital and Irfan Bagedo Hospital recently. It was priceless to see the children’s happy faces,” he said.

The group also organized a four-week blood donation awareness program in coordination with King Fahd Specialist Hospital at the Jeddah Corniche. “The program was successful and several people came forward to donate blood,” he said.

Several young people have been keen to help out. Reem Alsari, a member of the group, said: “Volunteerism is new here, unlike in Western countries where you have this culture of volunteerism. We need to have several campaigns to catch the attention of people and companies,” she said.

Yahya said the group is looking for sponsors. “We have volunteers coming from Gulf countries and hopefully, with the help of sponsors, we will reach out to more people.”

Basmat Amal is in the process of establishing an institution to organize events and generate income, which can be used for campaigns and projects.