Ramadhan & Eid Events to Help the Handicapped [Archives:1998/04/Reportage]

Sponsored by the Ministry of Insurance and Social Affairs, Al-Zahra Social and Charitable Society is organizing the First Bazaar for Productive Families and Rehabilitation Centers, which is held from the 20th to the end of Ramadhan (18th-28th January) at Dar-ul-Kutub in Sanaa. In addition to the organizing society, nine other charities are taking part in the bazaar. On this occasion, Nayif Al-Saqqaf of Yemen Times met some of the people responsible for holding this event and filed the following interviews.
Mr. Ali Mansoor Munassar, the head of the organizing committee and president of the Al-Zahra Social and Charitable Society: The Ministry of Insurance and Social Affairs has played a big part in organizing this bazaar. The participant societies are the Popular Society, the Social Society of Productive Families, the Abu Bakar Al-Siddeeq Society, the Society for Rehabilitating the Disabled, the Society to Rehabilitate the Deaf and Dumb, the Cooperative Handicrafts Society from Hodeida, the Hazaz Women Charitable Society, the Al-Safa Society, and Bir Al-Azab Society. The bazaar’s general goals include helping needy people to augment their income, coordinating between the various charities and presenting their social role so as to ultimately achieve a kind of social integration. The bazaar’s revenue will be distributed to the participating societies after deducting the expenses of organizing the bazaar.
Mr. Othman Al-Silwi, the president of the Handicapped Society: Our society is having a big presence in this bazaar, which is receiving a lot of visitors because of the imminent coming of the Eid when people want to buy clothes and other goods for their children. The products on offer here are very cheaply priced so that they are within the means of many people. More turnover, of course, also encourages the participant families and handicapped people to do more and work harder. I really hope that similar events will be more in the future as the benefit is quite encompassing. I’d like to seize this opportunity to call on all compassionate and kindhearted people to provide the participant charities and others with donations, both monetary and material. These charities regularly assist many poor people, especially during blessed and happy occasions such as Ramadhan and Eid. The work of these charitable societies is greatly consolidated and complemented by the Ministry of Insurance and Social Affairs. Organizational and coordination aspects are mostly conducted by the ministry.
Mr. Arafat Abdullah Abdu, the general secretary of the Handicrafts Cooperative Society in Hodeida: This is the first bazaar to be sponsored by the Ministry of Insurance and Social Affairs. Since the establishment of our society one year ago, we have been very active in helping needy families as well as indirectly aiding in preserving the Yemeni heritage by encouraging traditional handicrafts, especially weaving.
Eng. Qayid Mohammed Qayid, the president of the Abu Bakar Al-Siddeeq Society: This is the first time our society takes part in such an event. We immediately responded to the invitation by Al-Zahra society. Our main aim is to introduce our activities to benevolent and compassionate people and encourage them to give more help. Our other goals include training women the skills of tailoring and sewing so as to provide them with stable sources of income. The society sells the products to enable the productive families to increase their income. The society also has its own health center which provides valuable services to people who cannot afford to go to private doctors. I call on all benevolent people to help us help other people who are in dire need of assistance.

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