His Excellency the President of Umm Al-Qura University, Prof. Abdullah bin Omar Bafail, witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding today by the Vice President of the University, Dr. Farid Al-Ghamdi, and the CEO of the charitable association of ‘The Hajji and Mu’tamer’s Gift’, Dr. Yusuf Al-Bahouth, to promote cooperation between the university and the association in the areas of volunteer work and relief programs.

The memorandum aimed to unify the efforts of voluntary work, sharing research, consultancy and training between the two sides, promoting voluntary work through relief programs, and qualifying male and female volunteers to implement these programs with high professionalism and outstanding performance.

Prof. Farid Al-Ghamdi stated that the memorandum signed between Umm Al-Qura University and the Hajji and Mu’tamer’s charitable association seeks to provide humanitarian and relief services to citizens, residents, and those visiting the Sacred House of Allah to perform Hajj and ‘Umrah in different circumstances: during times of necessity, in the appropriate seasons, and during crises. The cooperation between the two sides is to be undertaken according to specific parameters, a scientific methodology, and organized administrative and institutional work, being characterized by efficiency and quality. He added that the memorandum of understanding also focused on achieving complementarity between the sectors and the unification of their efforts to provide the necessary services to those in need during times of crisis, citing the coronavirus (COVID-10) pandemic and the suffering of the different countries of the world as a result of the infection, including the Saudi Kingdom. The pandemic drew attention to the need for organized humanitarian work in such circumstances.

On his part, Dr. Al-Bahouth stated that the coronavirus pandemic highlighted the urgent need to increase the number of volunteers, engage in humanitarian work, and qualify personnel to work in this field. He also said that the association strengthened its efforts by building partnerships with various government sectors to serve the community during times of necessity and in the appropriate seasons.