Donate a little to help a lot

There are people who exist in life only to help others – I am one of them.” Shaima Al- Saqqaf

Shaima started her voluntary work through social media in 2012. She provided long-distance training courses in many fields including first aid, handicrafts and making confectionery sweets, incense and perfume. She worked in collaboration with expert trainers, recruited through her initiative. She also provided – to groups of women – moral support, marriage counselling, ways of dealing with children, and awareness campaigns on problems such as child molestation. Each group included about 50 women per training course.

Shaima then started to think about collecting small donations from ordinary people, starting with 1000 Riyals, and using the donations to fund services to help those in need. She used the money to help with the fostering and care of orphans, providing food baskets, bridal clothes for orphan and marginalised brides, debt repayment for poor insolvents, providing medication for the poor and repairing water wells.

One day, Shaima met a benefactor who decided to help his neighbours to solve the gas cylinder crisis. After 300 gas cylinders were collected from the people, he was tricked by the agent who collected the cylinders then took them and ran away. The benefactor was put in jail until he was able to return people’s money to them, which amounted to millions of Riyals.

He was released after several months, and given a grace period of one year to repay the money. Shaima met him a month before the deadline expired. He was in a difficult position. He could not provide the money. She met his large family who depended on him to provide for them from his previous work as a motorcyclist. She stood by him and tried to help him.  She contacted her acquaintances who could help until the full amount had been collected and paid back. A new motorcycle was bought  for him after he lost his old bike because of his debts

Witnessing his tears and the tears of his family, Shaima remembered many occasions when tears were shed in front of her while she provided a helping hand to those in need. She contemplated that God created her only to help those in need. Everything she faced in her life put her in their path.