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Abdo Al-Asmari
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If we want to solve a social problem, we need to conduct professional studies and take action based on the outcome of those studies. For example, if we want to study poverty in Saudi Arabia, we have to start from scratch because we do not have any official statistics about the number of poor and needy in the Kingdom. The committees formed to study social problems are usually unsuccessful in their work because they do not have official statistics to refer to.
We cannot deny that we have poor Saudis, but we do not know how many. We have charitable organizations that help the poor and distribute many things, including food, to the poor. However, the distribution process needs to be monitored to prevent some middle-income citizens from taking the charity handed out by such organizations. This type of charity should only go to the poor.
We have so far not seen a conference, official campaign or committee studying poverty. Why we have not studied poverty is something I do not understand. If we want to know how widespread poverty is in our society, we should conduct studies and carry out house-to-house visits to come up with accurate figures.
Unfortunately, some rich Saudis give zakat to foreign charity organizations when they should be spending it on local poor families who are in dire need of assistance. Sometimes, the poor families cannot benefit from charity given by local organizations due to not meeting the stern and difficult eligibility criteria.
Poverty is not a social stigma; it exists in all societies and will continue to exist forever. But we need to study it and we need to do it in the right way. We need to have reliable official statistics. Poverty is worse than divorce. Therefore, the relevant ministries should prioritize it. Poverty is the main reason for crime, mental problems, suicide, depression and other problems.
Well-to-do citizens should perform their national duty and help reduce and eventually eradicate poverty. They should implement social initiatives to build schools and healthcare centers and distribute aid to poor families that live in remote areas and even among the poor who live in the poor neighborhoods in our major cities. I hope the Anti-Poverty Fund will implement more efficient plans to end poverty. Charity organizations should sign contracts with the Ministry of Labor and Social Development, universities, research centers and civil society institutions to study poverty and generate statistics and come up with practical solutions.
