JEDDAH — People who have registered with Hafiz will not have financial benefits at risk even if they are registered at the same time at the social security program, Ibrahim Al-Moaiqel, Director General of the Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF) told Saudi Gazette. He said the total amount they will be getting will be SR2,000, part of it from the social security program and the rest from the HRDF. Al-Moaiqel said people who receive SR1,000 in social security benefits will get an additional SR1,000 from the Hafiz fund, that is a total monthly payment of SR2,000, which is the maximum amount being paid to job seekers. This ruling does not apply to disabled people who get the full amount from both the social security and Hafiz with no reduction. Al-Moaiqel was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Human Resource Forum in Jeddah. He was elaborating on a complaint by a young woman on why she did not receive her complete SR2,000 from the fund. When the young woman persisted she has been told that since she was a beneficiary of the social security program and getting SR700 from them she could only receive SR1,300 to bring the monthly benefits to SR 2000. The woman, who did not want to reveal her name, said she started to receive financial aid from the social security department ever since the death of her father. “As with all the unemployed females in the country, I registered at Hafiz. I thought I could balance my budget by getting SR700 from the social security department and SR2,000 from the Hafiz program until I landed a job. But that was not the case and I was shocked when I did not receive my full Hafiz benefits.” The young woman said she is surprised to know that those who have their fathers and husbands still alive and taking care of them can receive full benefits from Hafiz, while orphans or widows cannot enjoy this because they are registered with the social security program. “We are registered at the security program because we do not have anyone to take care of us. At the same time, we like all other unemployed youth who are still looking for jobs have the right to get Hafiz,” said the woman, adding: “This is not my own dilemma; this is the case with so many others registered with the social security program.”
