MAKKAH: Saudi youth from across the Kingdom have made significant contributions to serving pilgrims through volunteer work during this year’s Hajj season.

Their initiatives included providing medical care in collaboration with service providers, managing crowds at the Grand Mosque and holy sites, and directing pilgrims to ensure smooth ritual performance.

Volunteers exemplify generosity and support various sectors serving pilgrims, while also developing their skills and capabilities, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Meanwhile, the Technical and Vocational Training Corp. is participating with 1,068 male and female volunteer trainees this year in Makkah, Madinah, and the holy sites.

Abdullah Al-Duhailan, the corporation’s director general of activities, said the number of volunteers has increased by over 60 percent in four years, from 655 in 2022 to 1,068 this year.

Volunteers join public service camps organized by the Saudi Arabian Scouts Association, in cooperation with government and civil society organizations.

Their roles include guiding lost pilgrims, assisting patients at clinics and hospitals, transporting those in need with hospital vehicles, and supporting tasks alongside the Ministry of Commerce and Makkah municipality.

Volunteers also identify lost pilgrims’ nationalities and service office numbers by scanning barcodes on Nusuk cards and guide them to accommodations via the shortest routes under field scout leaders’ supervision.

Scout teams are also stationed at more than 180 mobile guidance points across Mina, providing rapid support and enhancing service quality to facilitate pilgrims’ smooth Hajj rituals.