The Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, in cooperation with other government sectors, announced that it will lead a 3-stage awareness campaign to educate the labor force on the need to follow health protocols everywhere.
The Ministry also said it aspires to benefit from the help of volunteers in the campaign to reach at least 60% of members of institutions and workplaces.
Muhammad al-Ubaida at the King Saud University said that the charity and volunteering sectors had proven their importance during the virus crisis, and had headed the national field efforts at a time many government institutions were shut down.
Charities have had a great impact on society by aiding people during quarantine days in Saudi Arabia. They helped deliver medicine and food aid to a number of homes that were left empty of supplies due to the lockdown.
Charities also led multi-lingual COVID-19 awareness campaigns and proved to be close to people because of their particular effectiveness away from government work.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Ubaida noted that it wasn’t only health associations that spearheaded national efforts, but also humanitarian groups played a role. Without any financial help, these bodies had relied on individual volunteers in fighting off the pandemic.
“The roles of scientific societies have varied between education and raising health awareness regarding precautionary measures to protect citizens,” Ubaida highlighted, adding that they also focused on scientific research.
“Charities have also played a major role, whereby volunteers offered magnanimous efforts during the crisis,” Ubaida added, saying that charities had provided some essential needs for needy groups.
Many charities have also placed their volunteers under the service of the government. Youth volunteers could be found helping organize efforts at hospitals, markets, and places of gatherings across the Kingdom.
