Employees Open Hearts for Those Less Fortunate
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Author: Saudi Aramco Week (Stephen L. Brundage)
Released 12 November 2007
DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA (October 10, 2007) - As the end of the holy month of Ramadan nears, employees and their families continue to donate to the Saudi Aramco 'Id Gifts for Orphans Campaign, which concludes Thursday.
Abdallah S. Jum'ah poses with volunteers at the ‘Id Gifts for Orphans gift booth in Dhahran. Jum‘ah sees the gift campaign as an opportunity to spread the practice of taking care of society’s less fortunate.
Photos by Stephen L. Brundage
Photos Contributed by Saudi Aramco
The program aims to help orphaned children have a memorable 'Id al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of Ramadan.
Abdulaziz F. Khayyal, senior vice president of Industrial Relations, visited the campaign gift center in Dhahran to see how the initiative is progressing. “The enthusiasm of all the people who volunteer and those who contribute is encouraging,” Al-Khayyal said. “The contributions come in from all employees, regardless of nationality, age or level of income.”
The gifts are distributed to the youngsters during daylong company events across the Kingdom with a variety of activities from recreation to visits by national sports figures and celebrities.
Khalid A. Al-Falih, with his son, Hisham, and his daughter, Lina, choose gifts to donate in the company’s 'Id Gifts for Orphans Campaign.
Organizers hope that parents will take the opportunity to show their youngsters the importance of charity.
“Parents should have their children participate in these activities,” said Khalid A. Al-Falih, executive vice president of Operations, who brought his son, Hisham, and his daughter, Lina, with him to serve as gift consultants.
“Children are born with a spirit and desire to give and to be charitable and connect with the needy,” Al-Falih said. “It needs to be nurtured, and it just needs a channel to express those desires. The ‘Id holiday is a perfect time to show the orphans that they are part of a larger family and a social network that cares about them.”
You might say this is one Saudi Aramco mega-project in which the entire extended community can get involved.
“It's a great project,” said Salim S. Al-Aydh, senior vice president of Engineering and Project Management. “This is planned out just like one of our mega-projects would be. There’s a lot of organization that goes into this effort.”
It’s an effort executives hope will spread throughout the Kingdom.
“Responding to the less fortunate may be more developed in the West, but we have a chance to spread that outreach here,” said Saudi Aramco president and CEO Abdallah S. Jum‘ah.
He added: “Especially with our younger generation, we are planting a seed that we hope will grow into a spirit of social responsibility, so that the ‘haves’ of our nation will never neglect the ‘have-nots.’ It’s a wonderful opportunity, and I am sure we will see the benefits in the years to come.”
Meanwhile, at Saudi Aramco’s community schools, workers loaded hundreds of gifts donated by students to children their same age that otherwise might be forgotten.
“It really makes you feel good to do something like this,” said one student. “A lot of kids helped put this together, and I think we have more than 100 gifts to give.”
Executives will join employee volunteers at the ‘Id orphan events to distribute the collected gifts.
“The day when we celebrate with the orphans and spend a day with them is truly rewarding,” Al-Khayyal said. “It’s more than the gifts that bring joy to them, and I’m honored to get the chance to distribute these gifts representing all of the people in the Saudi Aramco community who make this happen.”
The spirit of the holidays goes both ways. “You are also giving to yourself,” Al-Falih said. “There is a sense of satisfaction in knowing that you’re doing your part to help others.”