Mecca voluntary programme serving pilgrims has been in place for 19 years
Formal Registration is underway in Saudi Arabia for volunteering in serving pilgrims during the upcoming Islamic holy month of Ramadan and the next year’s Hajj season, the Saudi news agency SPA has reported.
The registration is handled by the Project to Maximise the Sacred Country, a facility based in Mecca, through a programme known as “Mecca Youth at Your Service”.
Young people interested in the seasonal voluntary efforts have been invited to apply via the Mecca’s Youth website www.shbabmakkah.com.
Registration is open until the end of the current Islamic month of Jumada I, due to end in late December, according to the project’s deputy supervisor-general Abdulrahman Al Ghamdi.
“The Mecca Youth at Your Service Programme has been in place for 19 years in serving the guests of Allah in the form of a number of activities,” Al Ghamdi said. He cited such services as serving pilgrims as guiding the missing people, offering first aid, regulating car parks and taking care of hospitalised pilgrims.
READ ALSO: Saudi Target 1 million volunteers to serve Hajj, Umrah Pilgrims
Earlier this week, Saudi authorities defined four major fields for volunteering to serve pilgrims.
They are related to welcome and farewell, interpretation and guidance, on-site and healthcare services, a Saudi official has said.
1 million volunteers by 2030
Saudi Arabia aims to raise the number of volunteers to 1 million by 2030, the kingdom’s Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Abdul Fattah Mashat said in the Saudi holy city of Medina.
Saud Arabia has recently launched an electronic platform, designed to facilitate access to Umrah services including visits to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
The nusuk.sa platform enables Muslims wishing to undertake Umrah or visiting the holy sites to obtain the necessary visas and permits as well as to book related packages electronically.
In yet a new facilitating step, Saudi Arabia said this week its citizens can apply to invite their friends abroad to visit the kingdom and undertake Umrah.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry said citizens can apply for the personal visit visa via its e-visa platform, allowing the holder to perform Umrah and move across the kingdom including the religious and historical sites.
Millions of Muslims, who cannot afford the Hajj rituals physically or financially, flock to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah annually.
The lunar month of Ramadan, expected to start in late March next year, usually marks the peak season of Umrah.
gulfnews
