RIYADH – AWAL IT Services, the leading IT services provider, has recently signed a cooperation agreement with Down Syndrome Charitable Association (DSCA), to provide a range of technical and logistic services to support the various activities of the Association and contribute to its success. The agreement was signed by Prof. Suzanne bint Salman Al Ghanim, Secretary-General of DSCA and Abdul Rahman Obeid, Marketing Director at AWAL. New studies indicate that the number of children with Down syndrome in Saudi Arabia is currently over 25,000, with about 1,000 children diagnosed with the syndrome born annually, and it was also observed that children with Down syndrome usually die at an early age, which calls for raising awareness about this matter. AWAL's agreement with DSCA forms part of the company's corporate social responsibility program and follows its strategy to serve the Saudi community through supporting all activities aimed at reducing the prevalence of this disability and its treatment. DSCA aims to provide financial aid and Zakat donations for families and finance rehabilitation and health care services and the different needs of these children and their families, in addition to developing and providing training programs, related info and support services to families of children with Down syndrome. The Association also strives to develop and provide education and rehabilitation programs for children with Down syndrome addressing their various growth stages, in addition to developing educational material as well as practical training programs for trainers and teachers in the field of Down syndrome and mental deficiency. AWAL is keen on keeping up with the aspirations of social organizations locally and is taking part in supporting them constantly through its CSR program. AWAL is a subsidiary of Saudi Telecom Group, and offers a range of services including consulting, managed IT solutions, building IT infrastructure and data centre services. – SG
