KHOBAR: The head of the Prince Sultan Charity for Orphan Care has criticized ministries and government bodies for failing to give orphans job opportunities. “Orphans are citizens too and should be treated the same as their peers when it comes to employment opportunities,” Fahd Al-Rajih said. He said that there are 1,600 married and unmarried orphans receiving attention from the Charity in the Kingdom. “Only 200 of them have found employment in the private sector, and with low salaries,” he said. “The Prince Sultan Charity works hard to motivate them and provides monthly benefits of 2,000 riyals with an additional 600 riyals' travel allowance and 862 riyals in benefit.” Some employed orphans do not hold permanent positions, something which Al-Rajih attributes to their desire to find work in the government sector with “more reasonable salaries”.The Prince Sultan Charity for Orphan Care has 14 programs targeting orphans 18 years old and older, including schemes for marriage, child and spouse care, and monthly financial assistance. Al-Rajih praised private universities that have allocated places to orphans, enabling between 500 and 1,000 males and female to pursue higher education. “The Charity also has a system in place in tandem with Social Security to help married orphans purchase furnishings and pay electricity bills,” he said.
