Friday, April 4, 2008

Indians in Saudi Arabia set up forum to help the poor

Expatriate Indians in Saudi Arabia have set up a body, named Association for Humanitarian Services and Solidarity (AHSAS), to help the poor and the underprivileged in India, particularly in Bihar and Jharkhand.

AHSAS appears to have been promoted by persons of Bihari origin. There are over 1.7 million Indians in Saudi Arabia. Of them, over 100,000 are from Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

The Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) quoted AHSAS president Wakil Ahmed as saying the organization “is committed to serve the underprivileged people in India in general and people living in the eastern States of Bihar and Jharkhand in particular.

To begin with AHSAS has taken up three projects. The first is to sponsor teachers in a school. The scheme may be extended later to cover other schools. The second project is to sponsor needy and underprivileged students in Bihar and Jharkhand. The third is to provide scholarships to meritorious students in the rural areas of Bihar.

AHSAS’s Mission Statement says: “Education is the key to a meaningful life but is often denied in our society. Whatever the gender, caste, creed or religion, we at AHSAS are committed to raise awareness, help eradicate illiteracy, spread education and to provide support to the needy.”

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