A scholarship to study in the US was all one Saudi student needed to launch a charitable group — Joy of Youth.
It aims to help the less fortunate across Saudi Arabia and distributes iftar meals during Ramadan.
The group has also helped to renovate homes and provided medical assistance to those in need.
“The Saudi government had sent me to the US on a scholarship for my college education and higher studies,” said Saeed Azhar, who founded the group in 2013.
“They gave me the opportunity to study abroad and grow. I just wanted to give back and that’s how Joy of Youth was born.”
Mr Azhar launched the group while studying in the US, before returning to the kingdom and introducing the initiative in Jeddah.
It now operates in 10 cities, including Riyadh, Makkah and Madinah.
The group has worked with more than 100 sponsors and 8,000 volunteers. It has helped about one million people.
Distributing iftar meals
Volunteers work tirelessly every holy month to promote the spirit of giving and distribute iftar meals.
The group aims to serve about 50,000 iftar meals this Ramadan.
“We have visited more than 40 neighbourhoods around the kingdom to distribute iftar meals,” Mr Azhar said.
The initiative is carried out at weekends, except in Makkah and Madinah, where iftar meals are distributed every day, he said.
Joy of Youth has worked with major Saudi chain restaurants Albaik and Qaid.
“We have also worked with Jeddah Municipality, Makkah Municipality, Sadafco, Aramco, McDonald's, Unilever, P&G, Haval, Ministry of Health, Toys R Us and many others,” Mr Azhar said.
Shahd Reda, a Saudi female volunteer, has distributed iftar meals and gifts to pilgrims arriving at Makkah train station this Ramadan.
“It was a very nice and organised experience and I appreciate volunteering with them,” Ms Reda, who is a photographer in Makkah, told The National.
The group is also working with schools and children to help them volunteer during the holy month.
“This helps build character and instil the core Islamic values at a young age and helps children understand,” said Razan Ahmed, a student and volunteer in Jeddah.
“They need to know that when they grow up, they have to continue doing this family members.”
Aamir Alim, a volunteer in Makkah who joined the group in 2020, said “humanity lies in the voluntary participation of everything that benefits people, society and the environment, and in JoY we target people and strive to help them”.
“We find joy in making people happy,” he said.
Joy of Youth to expand its operations
The group is now “much bigger than I expected”, Mr Azhar said.
“I was recently at a volunteering event and no one knew who I was,” he said.
The group has won several accolades, including an award for Best Voluntary Initiative in Jeddah and for Best Volunteer Success Stories in Saudi Arabia from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development in 2022.
Mr Azhar said the group's vision was to “revive humanity, regardless of race, gender, age, capabilities or religion”.
“Our regional vision in Joy of Youth is to cover all the kingdom's cities, along with GCC countries,” he said.
The organisation has helped to build schools in Zanzibar and it looks to expand its reach across the Mena region.
Joy of Youth will continue to promote social work among “all members of society by encouraging various forms of humanitarian work such as environmental cases, relief work, health and education”, Mr Azhar said.
He hopes to keep the momentum going and recruit one million volunteers by the end of the decade, to align with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed's Vision 2030.
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