Expatriates living and working in Saudi Arabia face many challenges. For many of them, one way of managing the daily hurdles of life in this benevolent country is to take advantage of the opportunity of making their stay useful by helping members of the various expatriate communities. Those who have unselfishly followed this way of life have received the sincere appreciation of those who have benefited by their good deeds. But the most significant reward probably is not only the opportunity to help those in need, but the personal satisfaction of being part of the expatriate social milieu. Abdul Fettah Ennayal, an expatriate from the North African country of Tunisia, has walked, so to speak, the path of camaraderie, friendship, and warm interaction with members of the expatriate communities in the Eastern Province. A resident of Saudi Arabia, mostly in the EP, during the past 30 years, Ennayal has endeared himself to many expatriate groups through his support and warm friendship with them. Every time he is invited to expatriate community gatherings to deliver brief comments on the facets of life in this country, he always emphasizes the need for foreign workers to help one another. “It is important to let people feel that they are cared for,” said Ennayal, who is the Director General of Mohammad Dossary Hospital, one of the oldest health institutions in the EP. It is no wonder why the hospital counts among its patients those from a wide variety of expatriate communities. Ennayal has made Mohammad Dossary Hospital available for many health outreach projects of Indian, Pakistani and Filipino organizations in the EP, providing free services and the expertise of the hospitals, doctors and nurses, and welcoming diplomats and community leaders from these expatriate groups. He has since become a dear brother to expatriate community leaders, welfare officers, labor attaches, and ambassadors of Asian embassies. During the state visit of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the EP last Sept. 22, 2009, she met and congratulated Ennayal for his continued support and interaction with the Filipino community. As an expatriate who has traveled and worked overseas, Ennayal said there is no better guiding principle in life than helping fellow expatriates find peace of mind in the host countries where they work.
