Amal Al-Sibai

Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — Charity work and volunteering has burgeoned in the Kingdom in recent years, especially among the young population. The flash floods that hit Jeddah in 2009 and again in 2011 served as a strong and painful wake-up call to active volunteers and charitable associations that they need to get organized and increase their efforts in times of crisis and also times of ease.



Serving a community in need should not be launched only when calamities strike or limited to working only during the sacred seasons of Ramadan and Haj. Charitable work should be provided all year round and it should be sustainable, systematic, and structured in order for it to be more effective.



Dedicated social activists in the Kingdom often complain of a dire lack of resources, manpower, logistics, publicity, and cooperation between different segments of society, which are all obstacles in the way of delivering high quality services to those who need it most.



Employees in charitable organizations are often overworked and overpaid which may lead to emotional burnout and decrease their productivity and drive to keep up.



The governor of the Madinah province, Prince Faisal Bin Salman, has a vision in mind of improving the efficacy of charitable organizations, promoting the concept of serving others, and encouraging these organizations to operate at a more proficient level.



Just days ago, Prince Faisal Bin Salman announced the establishment of a complete, full-fledged city in the Madinah region which will encompass solely charitable organizations and the amenities needed to support their functions.



The founders of this mini-city within a city for promoting charity work aim to link three important segments into a cooperative triangle; each side sharing the same ideals, accessible and supportive to the other.

 

The three sides are: the charitable non-profit organizations, government/public sector, and private sector and individual donors.



Highly developed and sophisticated cities around the world are known to host economic, knowledge, or technology cities.

 

The holy city Prophet (peace be upon him) was selected to house a charitable, philanthropic city. 

   

The city for charity work will cover an expansive surface area and include office buildings with adequate spaces at minimal and affordable rent prices for the charitable organizations.



Additional rooms and services will be provided to facilitate the work of the organization, such as storage space, meeting rooms, conference halls, and training centers; all equipped with internet services and a security system.



Organizations will be able to hold large events and invite members of the public to their awareness and educational workshops that they have been fervently working on in areas of health and disease prevention, marital counseling, and much more; without incurring huge expenses.

  

Exemplary services and well-kept reception areas in the offices will enable businessmen and donors and also the recipients of the services or donations to meet with the charity workers in a convenient and comfortable place.

 

Underprivileged individuals who may be eligible for support from more than one charitable organization only need to make one easy trip to this city where they can find all the organizations in one location, without worrying about taking their paper work from one distant region of the city to another.



The presence of several organizations in one place will no doubt facilitate communication between other organizations and supporters from the government and private sector.



The city of charity work will attract a larger number of volunteers who wish to help the community but may have been prevented from doing so in the past because they did not know where to go to offer their help and time.



A volunteer center will be opened to direct volunteers to the organization that most closely matches their skills and areas of expertise.



Several workshops will be held to train the volunteers and raise awareness among the general society on the importance of volunteering.



The leaders behind this initiative hope that it will increase a good type of competitiveness among charitable organizations and will solve the problem of wasted efforts and resources from overlapping in work that often occurs as a result of absence of communication and cooperation between organizations. Sheikh Dr. Abdul Bari Bin Awad Al-Thubaiti, Imam of the Prophet’s Holy Mosque, will shoulder part of the responsibility of forming a team to study the development of such a project, draw a timeline, and finally to actualize this vision into a tangible reality on the ground.  The employees at various charitable organizations will enjoy a relaxing work environment that fosters learning, creativity, productivity, and better health.



A fitness center will be built for employees in the charity work city, as well as outdoor walkways surrounded by green grass, plants, and trees. It will be a shining example of a network of professional charitable organizations that all work in synergy to uplift and serve humanity.