700 young Saudis ready for 24-hour voluntary Haj services

MAKKAH: Seven hundred young Saudis, recruited from the “project to respect the holy land to serve pilgrims,” are prepared to provide voluntary services to Hajis, local media reported.
The young men received a package of training courses for provision of 24-hour voluntary and high-quality services to Hajis, notably the elderly and handicapped, in cooperation with the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs.
The teams will also provide first aid services to patients at the Grand Mosque in cooperation with the Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA); transfer the injured to medical centers; guide lost Hajis in cooperation with the Ministry of Haj; or care for hospitalized Hajis in Makkah hospitals in conjunction with students of the College of Medicine.
The “project to respect the holy land to serve pilgrims” constructed two camps to honor Hajis in the place where Hajis are grouped in Al-Zaidi and Madinah, in cooperation with the branch of the Ministry of Haj and Umrah in Makkah.
For his part, the head of seasonal activities for the Makkah Youth Program (MYP), Fahad Al-Sharif, said the youths have been carefully selected after being involved in a key training program to understand the meaning of practically respecting the holy land, and skills on how to deal with the guests of Allah.
The number of beneficiaries from the program during the last 11 years reached more than 9 million Hajis, he said.
In Madinah, meanwhile, members of the scout camp began providing services to Hajis, the head of the camp, Mohammed Al-Juhani, said.
He said the scouts managed to guide Hajis who lost their way, either by providing directions or by bringing them to the locations where they are residing. At the end of every day, comprehensive statistics are prepared for all services provided by the scout members to Hajis, he said.
The statistics contain the number of Hajis who received services, including guidance to the lost, elderly and children, services at medical centers, distribution of awareness booklets, helping the elderly with hand-driven carts, among others.