Fatima Muhammad Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Awasir, the Society for the Welfare of Saudi Families Abroad, currently has 1,564 families under its wings. The figure rose this year by a whopping 944 families. According to officials, there are still a large number of stranded families who are not aware of the Awasir program and have not registered with the Society. Awasir looks after children born to Saudi fathers and foreign mothers and later abandoned abroad for various reasons. The Society conducts DNA tests to confirm the children's paternity before trying to reconnect them with their Saudi families. This helps the children easily obtain the Saudi nationality with the cooperation of the authorities. In the absence of a confirmed nationality and proper identification papers, it is hard for these children to find jobs or register themselves with any official agencies abroad. The Society provides the children with all legal assistance free of charge and gives them allowances to cover their basic needs, including education, health care and rents, to help them lead a life of dignity. According to Tawfeeq Al-Suwailim, the chairman of Awasir's board of directors, the Society with more than 5,600 members is providing aid to abandoned Saudi families in 30 countries. The majority of these families, according to the Society's studies, live in Arab countries, such as Syria, Egypt, Bahrain, Lebanon, Kuwait and Morocco. A few of them live in the United States, Italy, Belgium and Bosnia. Prior to the summer holidays, Awasir launched a campaign to create awareness among Saudis about problems they may encounter in future because of marital ties with foreign women while traveling abroad. Islamic scholars have neither permitted nor prohibited Saudis from marrying during their trips abroad. However, scholars insist that all marriages should be conducted in accordance with Shariah principles. They say marriage contracts should not be solemnized for fixed periods of time because such marriages have resulted in a number of Shariah violations, including the betrayal and abuse of women and the neglect of children.
