Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Foundation donates 36 houses to poor citizens

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The Al Jisr Charity Foundation has completed and delivered 36 homes since the beginning of this year as part of its mission to give back to the community.


The foundation, represented by the Projects Division, collaborated with the Ministry of Housing, to provide houses to the needy and underprivileged families that are entitled to Zakat across the Sultanate.


Out of the 36 homes, 18 are in Muscat, eight in Al Sharqiyah, seven in Al Batinah and three in Al Dakhiliyah.


Since its establishment in 2010, more than 416 houses have been provided, of which 63 were handed over last year.


The foundation was established by three sisters Fauzia Saud Bahwan al Mukhaini, Aneesa Saud al Mukhaini and Ameena Saud al Mukhaini.


Shelter represents the fundamental base of Al Jisr’s hierarchy of support, which provides the stepping stone for achieving the ultimate goal of self-realisation, said an official at the foundation.


“The vision of the foundation is to provide a sustainable long term support to the community. We help people and we do not want anything from the people we support. But we also believe in empowering individuals and that is why we have started a new programme called social empowerment,” said Ahmed al Harthy, General Manager.


The foundation is working to address the basic needs of society and innovating a range of philanthropic programmes that can provide a sustainable solution to the problems faced by communities.


The initiative is to help individuals become financially independent and not just depend on charity.


“Most of the time, we found it was ladies who were in need of help. So we started training programmes where they could work from home,” said Al Harthy.


He said the programme to teach them how to make bakhoors has been successful.


“We market them (products) via social media. We support them for six months, after which they become independent. Change takes time. Not everyone is keen but when they see successful stories, they get inspired.”


Home, food, amenities and medical support are the basic needs according to the Al Jisr Hierarchy of Support.


“Sometimes it is a father who has fallen ill or has met with an accident. We provide the family with ration coupons, but of a certain amount so they can plan well. At other times, it might be a missing door causing insecurity,” said Al Harthy.


The foundation provides social support as in the case of students who have received scholarships from the government or other institutions but are not able to meet the expenses for hostel or transportation.


“This is where we come in because we do not want them to quit, but the students have to maintain a 2.0 or 2.5 GPA.”


Last in the hierarchy is the social empowerment for men and women. “We found many 18- to 25-year-old men sitting at home and when asked, they said they could not find jobs because they had not completed their studies. We have been offering them short courses on mechanical work. We are providing training to fresh graduates on job interviews and CV writing skills by bringing in consultants and collaborating with other institutions.”


Lakshmi Kothaneth


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