GRAMEEN-JAMEEL Microfinance Limited has announced that the its various humanitarian initiatives and microfinancing programs has drawn the attention of many international and regional organizations. This was reaffirmed with the recent visit of a high level delegation from the Productive Families Centers (JANA) in Saudi Arabia, which was established as one of the sustainable development programs of Suleiman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Rajhi Charitable Foundation. The visit of the delegation was aimed at getting a better understanding of the accomplishments of Grameen Jameel, being the first social business focused on providing microfinance and capacity building support to the poor in the Arab world and Turkey. Dr. Khaled Al-Gazawi, General Manager of Grameen–Jameel, welcomed the visiting delegation headed by Chairman Sheikh Mohammad Bin Hamad Al Khamis. Al-Gazawi provided a detailed overview of the successes of Grameen-Jameel in combating poverty and unemployment in the MENA region and Turkey. He also shed light on many of the new initiatives that have been developed to help the poor, including renewable energy programs and several measures to develop the skills of youth, particularly in the area of using technology.
During the visit, many issues of mutual interest were discussed, and it was agreed that consolidating the channels of communication was key to facilitating the exchange of information and skills to meet future expectations. The JANA delegation stressed that they are keen to benefit from the expertise of Grameen-Jameel in the area of launching a series of new initiatives in Saudi Arabia and the Arab world to empower the youth, especially in the business sector through the implementation of training programs and providing support services, technically and financially. Al-Gazawi expressed Grameen-Jameel's commitment to support JANA's expansion plans and promised to arrange for a visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia soon to further discuss these promising programs that will significantly contribute to reducing the unemployment of the youth in KSA and across the region. — SG
