The volunteers working to ensure no one goes hungry at iftar

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Volunteers work to make sure no one goes hungry at Iftar time. (AN Photo)
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Updated 23 March 2025
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The volunteers working to ensure no one goes hungry at iftar

  • Dedicated teams provide free meals to those who struggle to make it home on time to break their Ramadan fast
  • Young men and women provide assistance to motorists, taxi drivers, and service workers

JEDDAH: As many residents struggle to get home in time for iftar during Ramadan, a group of young volunteers has stepped in, providing free meals to ensure that no one stays hungry when it is time to break the fast. 

Volunteers aim to provide assistance to motorists, taxi drivers and service workers who may have difficulty reaching iftar locations on time. 

In the hours before iftar, many people are seen on the streets of Jeddah, heading home after a long day.

As the sun begins to fade each day of Ramadan, more than 300 volunteers — students, employees and entrepreneurs — arrive at the various sites in Jeddah by the Asr afternoon prayer. 

Firstly, they work together to pack boxes full of dates, and bottles of water and juice and later distribute meals by hand.

Al-Muthana Al-Dossary, the leader of the Hattan volunteer organization which has been carrying out various activities all year long, told Arab News that his team has been organizing the Ramadan iftar for the past 5 years.

“The response has been incredible. Locals from various parts of Jeddah are actively participating as volunteers,” he said.

Al-Dossary said that his team serves approximately 400 to 500 people daily. “Motorists, Laborers, bike riders, taxi drivers, building keepers and others rely on this initiative to break their fast,” he explained. 

“The iftar initiative is directly supported by kind-hearted people who contribute not just to this effort, but to other charitable activities under our project.

“This campaign is truly wonderful, especially when you find yourself on the road and can’t reach home in time for iftar. 

“This meal is not just to meet our nutritional needs, but it also reminds us of the essence of Ramadan and the spirit of giving,” he added.

For 17-year-old Lina Al-Mamari, distributing iftar meals to drivers and those who are in need at various spots in Jeddah is a great initiative which reflects the spirit of compassion during the blessed month of Ramadan.

She said: “I am very proud to be part of this campaign. It gives us the opportunity to offer a helping hand to those in need, and it strengthens social solidarity in our community.” 

Yazen bin Essa, who also volunteers with Hattan, expressed his satisfaction and pride.

“When you help others especially in the holy month of Ramadan, that’s the acts of kindness. 

“We want to ensure that as there is a call for breaking fast no one should go hungry during this sacred time. We want to provide a sense of comfort in iftar, the meal to break the fast after sunset,” he said. 

Some 50 meters away, Namaa Charity and Al-Ittihad Club have jointly collaborated to distribute iftar meals and food provision kits to workers, individuals, and underprivileged families. 

“The joint initiative called the ‘Fakkat Reeg’ (breaking fast) aims to distribute around 5,000 meals a day in different locations,” said Abdulrahman Alamri, the leader of the distributing team. 

“This initiative is a key pillar of Al-Ittihad Club’s annual Ramadan program, in partnership with Namma Charity and it comes within the project of breaking the fast of a fasting person on the road.”


Saudi Arabia ‘categorically rejects’ Israel’s plan to seize Gaza territory

Updated 08 May 2025
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Saudi Arabia ‘categorically rejects’ Israel’s plan to seize Gaza territory

  • Israeli authorities on Monday approved plans to take over territory and forcibly displace population
  • Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemns Israel’s violations of international law

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has “categorically rejected” plans by Israel to expand its military operations in Gaza and seize control of the territory.

The ministry also “strongly condemned the continued Israeli violations of international law and international humanitarian law.”

Israeli authorities on Monday approved a new ground operation to take over parts of Gaza, forcibly displace Palestinians into the south of the territory, and control the distribution of humanitarian aid. The Israeli army is calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers.

The announcement sparked widespread international condemnation. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said it stood firmly opposed to any attempted expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, and stressed the importance of holding Israel accountable for failures to comply with international resolutions.

The Kingdom continues to have “unwavering support for the Palestinian cause, in line with international legitimacy, the Arab Peace Initiative, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital,” the ministry added.


Saudi project destroys 600 more Houthi landmines and other explosives in Yemen

Updated 07 May 2025
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Saudi project destroys 600 more Houthi landmines and other explosives in Yemen

  • The devices, cleared from various parts of the war-torn country in recent months, were safely detonated on Wednesday
  • Project Masam has removed nearly 500,000 mines across Yemen since its launch in 2018

RIYADH: Members of the Saudi Project for Landmine Clearance, also known as Project Masam, safely detonated 600 mines, unexploded ordnance and other explosive devices on Wednesday.

The project’s engineers had demined and removed the devices over the past few months from various parts of Yemen, including the town of Beihan and the districts of Usaylan and Ain in Shabwah governorate.

Hussein Al-Aqili, commander of the project’s survey team, said they carried out the destruction operation in the Thahba area of Ain district on Wednesday as part of their ongoing mission to clear mines and other remnants of war in Yemen, and save civilian lives.

The project has cleared nearly 500,000 mines from the country since its work there began in 2018.

Last week, Ousama Algosaibi, the managing director of Masam, warned that the Houthis continue to exploit periods of truce to plant more mines across Yemen.

“We are in a constant race with the Houthi militias; we clear mines from one side while they plant more on the other,” he said during an interview with Al-Ekhbariya TV.


Saudi ambassador meets Bahrain King’s media affairs adviser

Updated 07 May 2025
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Saudi ambassador meets Bahrain King’s media affairs adviser

Saudi Ambassador to Bahrain Naif bin Bandar Al-Sudairi was received by Nabeel bin Yacoub Al-Hamer, media affairs adviser to the King of Bahrain, in Manama on Wednesday.

The adviser expressed his pride in the solid fraternal relations and deep-rooted historical ties that bind the two countries, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

He also wished Al-Sudairi continued success in his duties, which will further support and strengthen the fraternal ties, mutual coordination, and close cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in various fields, and particularly in the media.


 


Saudi commission expands music access for people with disabilities

Updated 07 May 2025
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Saudi commission expands music access for people with disabilities

  • Push for accessible arts programming reflects wider goals for social development

MAKKAH: Saudi Arabia’s Music Commission has launched a national initiative to expand access to music education for people with disabilities, marking a key step toward their greater inclusion in the Kingdom’s cultural landscape.

Focused on Riyadh, Jeddah and Alkhobar, the program trains instructors to teach students with physical and cognitive disabilities.

It supports the ambitions of Saudi Vision 2030, which seeks to elevate quality of life and ensure opportunities for all segments of society.

Music education expert Issa Al-Qarbi praised the initiative as a transformative step in supporting individuals with disabilities.

“Music is a highly effective medium for stimulating brain activity, developing motor and social skills, and enhancing overall psychological well-being,” he said.

The initiative includes adapting teaching methods, specialized curricula and fully accessible learning environments aligned with the requirements of the Mowaamah certification, a program which provides support to increase participation among disabled individuals in the labor market.

In designing the program, the commission partnered with international experts in music on the curricula and programs that align with global best practices.

The existing models were reviewed using the standards set by the National Association for Music Education.

The commission’s goal is to empower students to express themselves through music, boost their self-confidence and enhance their social, cognitive and motor skills.

The students will receive extended training that prepares them for group performances while supporting their artistic, cognitive and social development. Sessions with parents and community members are also being planned to raise awareness and encourage family engagement.

Al-Qarbi said that long-term sustainability and lasting impacts could be ensured by closer partnerships between the education and healthcare sectors.

He praised the initiative as a regional model, opening the door to further research and innovation.

He said that teaching music to individuals with disabilities went beyond technical skills, nurturing essential personal qualities such as patience, discipline and social engagement, which in turn positively influenced many areas of their lives.


Saudi surgeons separate Egyptian child from parasitic twin

Updated 07 May 2025
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Saudi surgeons separate Egyptian child from parasitic twin

  • Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah says operation is one of the most delicate carried out by his team
  • Procedure takes 8 hours and involves multidisciplinary team of 26 consultants

RIYADH: A medical team from the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program successfully completed a surgical procedure on Wednesday to separate an Egyptian child from a parasitic twin.

The operation on 8-month-old Mohammed Abdulrahman Juma at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in Riyadh took eight hours and was split into six stages. It involved a multidisciplinary team of 26 consultants, including specialists in anesthesia, neurosurgery, pediatrics and plastic surgery.

A parasitic twin, also known as a vestigial twin, is an identical twin that stopped developing during gestation and is physically attached to a fully developed twin. Because it did not fully develop, it cannot survive on its own and often dies in the womb or during birth.

Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, who heads the surgical team and is an advisor at the royal court and supervisor general of Saudi aid agency KSrelief, said the twins were joined at the back, lower chest, abdomen and pelvis. The parasitic twin lacked a head and essential organs, including a heart and kidneys.

Al-Rabeeah described the operation as one of the most delicate his team has been involved with, and thanked his colleagues for their efficiency and skill during the surgery, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Mohammed and his parents flew to Saudi Arabia in March after King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman issued directives for medics in the Kingdom to help the child.

The operation on Wednesday was the 63rd separation procedure carried out under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, which has reviewed 149 cases of patients from 27 countries since its inception in 1990.