[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="Orphans with outstanding academic achievements taken on trip to Spain" ids="71271,71272,71273"] JEDDAH — A group of orphan children from Saudi Arabia enjoyed the trip of a lifetime exploring Spain. They had cultural experiences by visiting museums filled with masterpieces of European art, touring historical quarters and seeing the Moorish influence on art and architecture. For many, the highlight was the tour of two of the world's most famous football grounds – Real Madrid's Bernabeu stadium and Barcelona's Camp Nou. The trip was made possible by Community Jameel, the social responsibility arm of Abdul Latif Jameel Group, which operates around the world to promote a positive society and economic sustainability in a number of different fields, including job creation, poverty alleviation, water and food security, arts and culture, and education. Working closely with the Social Affairs Department operating within the Ministry of Labor and Social Development, Community Jameel's Tanweer Jameel Orphan Support Program aims to reward children who have shown outstanding academic promise with an annual opportunity to see the world. This year, 20 carefully selected children aged 14 to 18 traveled to Madrid. They moved on to explore Seville, Barcelona and Granada, along with two supervisors from the Social Affairs Department, an educator and a representative from Community Jameel. "This trip is something that would normally be beyond the reach of children in such an unfortunate position," said Abdalla Taleb, manager of health and social initiatives at Community Jameel. "However, with the support of Community Jameel, Tanweer Jameel Orphan Support Program, and the Ministry of Labor, promising young children are every year given a most remarkable opportunity to see the world. "Our aim is to help build character in these young people, but more than that, to show them that they can achieve anything with hard work and perseverance." Since the Tanweer Jameel Orphan Support Program was launched in 2005, more than 200 children have been able to visit France, Turkey, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, and now Spain.
