Many Saudi families stranded abroad are refusing to live in the Kingdom because they believe it would be difficult to adapt to life in this country, reported Al-Madina newspaper on Saturday. Tawfiq Al-Suwailem, Chairman of the Saudi Charitable Society for the Care of Saudi Families Abroad (Awasser), said that the organization is working to integrate families who have returned with their Saudi identification documents and passports. Awasser sponsors more than 900 Saudi families abroad – 2,387 individuals in 26 countries. He said that 90 percent of the families end up abroad because the husbands and fathers had either died or abandoned them. The society gets SR5 million in annual aid from the Ministry of Social Affairs. The money is used to cover daily administrative services and financial support for families abroad. This year Awasser transferred more than SR6 million to families “which is the largest annual amount the society has disbursed since its formation”. He said the society transfers the amounts monthly, in addition to clothes in winter and financial aid to each individual for Eid. “We hope that by 2015 we will receive SR10 million annually from the state, average annual donations of SR10 million, membership fees of SR500,000 and an endowment worth SR25 million,” he said. “The society's strategic goal is to take care of all Saudi families stranded abroad (and registered at embassies).” Answering a question, he said stranded Saudi families learn about Awasser from posters in English and Arabic, with the society's numbers and addresses, at 30 Saudi embassies around the world. However, “We keep searching seriously,” he added.
