Jeddah - The Higher Women's Committee for Humanitarian and Social Services has constructed 400 low-cost houses with all facilities for the poor and needy in Tufail and Rabigh, according to Princess Sarah bint Abdul Mohsen Al-Anqari, the charity's chairperson.
She said the houses were built in response to the call by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to fight poverty and provide housing to the poor.
"Even in developed countries there are hundreds of thousands of poor families and communities who require assistance," she said and praised the king's efforts for the welfare of the poor. Princess Sarah said the committee had built 300 housing units with all facilities in Tufail, adding that the Tufail village project included schools, two mosques and a health center. In Rabigh, the committee has built 100 housing units in Abawa and Farisiniya. "We handed over the houses to the governorate in Rabigh in order to distribute them to the deserving people in the area," she said.
Princess Sarah, who is wife of Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed, said the committee was constructing 50 houses for the victims of torrential floods in Khales. "Our plan is to build 120 housing units in Khales," she added. The committee has spent more than SR200 million on projects related to fighting poverty and providing housing to the needy.
"Our committee has conducted a study on disorganized housing districts in the Makkah region," she said. The study has pointed out that 11,000 houses are immediately required to meet the needs of the poor in the region.
By Abdul Maqsood Mirza
© Arab News 2005
