RIYADH – The SABIC Employees Charity Fund (BERR) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Sheikh Saad Al-Musa & Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Musa Endowment to initiate a study on the “Traveler's Prayer” project, which involves building mosques and washrooms on highways to serve motorists and worshippers. BERR, which is the Arabic acronym for the Fund, is an initiative of the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) out of its responsibility towards society and its strategy of working with philanthropic partners to improve social conditions in the community. The MOU was signed by Khalid Al-Nimer, Chairman of the Fund's board of trustees and Abdulilah Al-Musa, member, board of supervisors, Sheikh Saad Al-Musa & Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Musa Endowment, in Riyadh recently. Under the MoU, the Fund will have access to the studies conducted by the Endowment on the project and also have the right to any subsequent improvements made to the project design. The idea behind the project stems from the need to develop facilities for highway users, particularly for ablution and prayers at gas stations, and to provide hygienic washrooms. The initiators of the project developed suitable designs for these highway facilities to alleviate the problems currently faced on these counts by travelers. Mohamed Al-Mady, Sabic Vice Chairman and CEO, said Sabic employees were closely associated with BERR, with more than 4,000 staff members registered with it. He emphasized the need to use scientific and innovative methods to solve everyday problems for the benefit of the general public. Moreover, charity work needs to be prioritized based on need, he said. The Sabic employees registered with the Fund have been engaged in various volunteering activities, including adoption of 457 needy families and supporting their 2,500 members, and in building mosques in different regions of the Kingdom. The Fund has also contributed toward digging new wells in villages, financing Jizan refugee's relief program, supporting English ‘dawah' pack projects, sponsoring visits to Madinah, distributing winter assistance to families registered with the Fund, besides several other humanitarian initiatives. — SG
