...born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad

Little orphan antics: Here’s a heart-warming story from Arab News about orphans and the efforts of one young humanitarian to bring a little sunshine to their drab young lives:

JEDDAH: A group of young Saudis has joined forces with a number of associations to organize the so-called “Love Festival” that aims at helping orphans enjoy the various activities as part of Jeddah summer festival.

The Love Festival, which takes place at King Fahd Coastal City in Jeddah on Thursday, was one of the efforts initiated by the Friends of Orphans group, which was founded last year by a number of young students.

Ghassan Gamal, a 23-year-old soft-spoken Saudi graduate and founder of the group, said that the festival would hold various contests and activities for orphans who are cared for by various charitable organizations.

The event, he said, is co-organized by the Community Friends Committee, the Charitable Establishment for Orphans’ Care and the Jeddah Volunteering Club.

He said that the idea of the group came to him after volunteering with one of Saudi Aramco’s social programs. “I felt good when I saw the orphans happy and smiling, and I just couldn’t stop there,” he said.

Gamal formed a Facebook group, which caught the attention of numerous young boys and girls.

“The group is increasing in number as we receive many messages from young people who are willing to volunteer,” he said.

Members of the group make visits to orphanages, where they present gifts, spend time playing and mingling with the orphans in addition to organizing outdoor events. “We want the orphans to feel that we remember them, we love them and we are there for them,” he said.

Gamal’s group seeks sponsors for bigger programs that involve outdoor events, training courses and many other activities.

The group members meet to brainstorm and finalize organizational issues for the programs they plan. “We have set up many programs and events for this year’s summer vacation with the help of other charitable organizations and the private sector,” he noted.

Apart from the Love Festival, the group has planned a sports event where the orphans will practice soccer under famous Brazilian trainers. “Many other programs will take place during this month and we would hold more meetings to come up with new ideas,” Gamal said.

He said that the group’s activities have extended to other cities around the Kingdom. “We have successfully organized a two-week tour of Jeddah for orphan girls from Madinah and the Eastern Province,” he said.

“The growing number of volunteers has made the group more lively and respected. We will continue our work to support the orphans because it makes us feel happy and blessed.”

And why, you may ask, are there orphanages in the Magic Kingdom? Why aren’t these orphans adopted by their egregiously wealthy landsmen, who can certainly afford to raise another child or two? It’s because back in the day a certain messenger of God renounced adoption (because he wanted to marry his adopted son’s divorced wife), thus setting the precedent that’s been followed ever since.

Way to go, Mo!

Posted by: scaramouche at 10:05 | link | comments

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