Bab Rizq Jameel (BRJ), an initiative of Abdul Latif Jameel Community Services Programs (ALJCSP), successfully created 4,651 job opportunities during March 2010. Job opportunities were created throughout the Kingdom through diversified BRJ's job creation programs. Through the direct employment program, BRJ created jobs for 1,046 young males and females, 726 of them for males and 320 for females. Part of the job opportunities has been created through support from the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF). Jobs provided for young males included fields such as cashiers, security guards, merchandisers, auto mechanics and administrative coordinators, in several companies including Al Hukair, Al Liwa Al Dhahabi Security Company and Panda Al Azizia. For females, fields included merchandisers, security guards, receptionists and kindergarten teachers, in certain companies, private schools and Arabian ALF Foundation. In addition, 527 job opportunities have been created through the training ending with employment program in several fields, including accountants and AC Technicians for males, makeup, nursing and cooking for females. Companies contributed in this program were Nasir Saeed Al Hajri and Partners in the Eastern Province, Carrefour in the Northern Province an Al Baik in the Western Province. BRJ financed 694 small projects during March 2010, whether new or existing, provided that projects should create additional job opportunities. The average interest-free loan is SR 50,000. Among the projects financed were selling foodstuffs, selling cooking gas, renting boats for marine cruises, distribution of electronics products, confectionary and pastries businesses, female accessories, weddings business and distribution of mobile phones and computers. Maximum loan could reach SR 200,000 over a 5-year re-payment period. Based on Grameen Bank's microfinance concept, the “productive household” program provided support to 2262 females throughout the Kingdom during March to start their micro project. In this program, beneficiaries receive interest-free loans from SR1,000 to SR5,000. During March, the taxi ownership program provided 26 taxi cars for young Saudi males, who can work as drivers and use their fully equipped taxi cars to transport people, and pay easy installment over a 4-year period at the end of which they will own the car. Through the truck ownership program, 96 trucks were provided for young Saudi males, who can work as drivers and use their trucks to transport goods, vegetables, equipment and passengers. In addition, training opportunities have been provided through Nafisa Shams Academy for Arts and Crafts, a program of BRJ, for 76 female trainees in diversified areas. Also, jobs have been created for 81 females through the ‘work from home' program, which is supervised by Nafisa Shams Academy for Arts and Crafts. Through this program, approximately 2,000 prayer rugs are produced monthly and sold to Toyota and Lexus. Engineer Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel, chief job creation officer at Bab Rizq Jameel, said ALJCSP, since its inception, has successfully created more than 123,116 job opportunities by the end of March 2010. He added that the driving force for this achievement was the support from governmental organizations, specifically HRDF and the Saudi Credit & Saving Bank, in addition to the more than 400 male and female job creation officers, as well as the successes of the beneficiaries. Jameel further said the plans for this year 2010 are to create 46,000 job opportunities, of which 9,359 job opportunities have been created during the first quarter of this year.
