JEDDAH: Volunteerism is an integral part of the Saudi society and urgent measures are required to set up an institute to train the youth in this philanthropic act, Dr. Abdullah Omar Nasseef, president of the World Muslim Congress, said here Thursday. Scouting is one of the best ways of volunteering, said Dr. Nasseef who is also Deputy Chairman of King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue. “We need to set up an institute to train the youth for voluntary work so that they can do it smoothly. The International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO) had many volunteers who were working for us in Saudi Arabia and abroad and many Saudi youth – both boys and girls –were trained,” he said. “ But we need more volunteers not only for natural calamities but also for other emergency situation all year round,” he explained. The Civil Defense staff rescued hundreds of people in the east of the city after they were stranded by floods which hit Jeddah last month. Along with the authorities, a number of volunteers also helped the flood-affected people in various parts of the city. Volunteers could be seen providing people with the necessities of life – food, blankets, flash lights, medicines, clothes and drinking water etc. “We need training for youth and volunteers to show them how they can of help in critical situations and why volunteering is important, as since the flood hit Jeddah in 2009 a number of youth got together and helped the society,” said Mohammed Bakhrieba, founder of the Saudi Stop TB group. “The youth were controlling the traffic. A number of youth were standing on the roads in the rain to prevent the people from going into heavy flooded areas,” he said. “This type of personal initiatives can contribute to the sustained development of our community,” he said. Volunteering is about commitment and creative approaches, it is all about us whatever way we do it,” said Bakhrieba. Volunteerism, he said, can transform the pace and nature of development and it benefits both the society at large and the individual volunteer. Any one can contribute his time, skills and knowledge through volunteer action and combined efforts can be a significant force for achieving the desired result, he said. Speaking about the recent floods, Dr. Nasseef, one of the oldest residents of Jeddah, explained that when he was a boy rainwater would never accumulate on the roads as is the case today. “Previously they had walls around Jeddah to protect it from rainwater but as the city has grown over 10,000 times there is no wall anymore,” he said.
