RIYADH: The Jadidat Arar border crossing in the Northern Borders region continues to welcome Hajj pilgrims arriving from Iraq, with volunteers from various government and charitable organizations providing support.

Teams from the Saudi Red Crescent Authority offer medical services and health education to ensure the safety of pilgrims, delivering urgent care when needed, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Volunteers from the Northern Borders Health Cluster perform medical examinations and monitor health conditions, safeguarding pilgrims’ well-being from arrival to departure.

Volunteers from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development help organize pilgrim movement, oversee transport and provide logistical support.

They also assist the elderly and people with disabilities, ensuring smooth and accessible mobility, the SPA reported.

Teams from the Ministry of Sport offer guidance at entry points and educate pilgrims on organizational procedures.

Students from Northern Borders University assist with translation, facilitating communication with non-Arabic-speaking pilgrims.

Volunteers from various associations guide pilgrims on entrance and exit routes to ensure smooth movement.

Saudi volunteers ensure pilgrims have a straightforward and enriching Hajj journey, working tirelessly in several sectors to maintain top-level service, according to the SPA.

The annual Islamic pilgrimage — required once in a lifetime for Muslims who are physically and financially able to do so — will begin in Makkah on June 4 and end on June 9.

RIYADH: Filipino conjoined twin sisters Klea Ann and Maurice Ann Misa arrived in Riyadh on Saturday and are being assessed for possible separation surgery under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program.

The twins were taken to the King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital at the Ministry of National Guard upon arrival at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Klea Ann and Maurice Ann, accompanied by their parents, were brought to the Kingdom from Manila upon royal directives.

They are the third conjoined twins from the Philippines to be placed on the program.

The program’s medical and surgical team is led by Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, who is also an adviser at the Royal Court and director general of the Saudi aid agency KSrelief.

The twin’s parents expressed their gratitude to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their generous care and warm reception, as well as the comprehensive medical attention they received, SPA reported.

In an interview published on Saturday in Arab News, the twin’s mother, Maricel Misa, said that since her children were born seven years ago, she had been praying that one day someone would help them to live a normal life.

Misa, who owns a small shop with her husband in Lubang Island in Mindoro Oriental province, central Philippines, were unable to afford the expensive operation the twins needed. Her prayers were answered when she got a call from the Saudi Embassy in Manila and was told that the Kingdom was willing to help.

“We saw a post from Saudi Arabia about conjoined twins from the Philippines who had undergone surgery there, and I commented, saying I hope we can be helped too. Someone noticed my comment and reached out to me,” Misa said.

Since its founding in 1990, the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program has separated more than 140 children born sharing internal organs with their siblings. Among them were Filipino conjoined twins Ann and Mae Manz — joined at the abdomen, pelvis, and perineum — who were separated by Dr. Al-Rabeeah and his team in March 2004.

A second Filipino pair, Akhizah and Ayeesha Yusoph — joined at the lower chest and abdomen and shared one liver — were successfully separated in September 2024.

Al-Rabeeah said that the program “reflects the Kingdom’s principles of mercy and human solidarity without discrimination.”