Okaz/Saudi Gazette

RIYADH — The Human Resources Development Fund (HADAF), under the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, revealed that more than 25,000 Saudi women have benefited from the Supporting Childcare for Working Women (Qurrah) Program ever since its launch in November 2017 until September 2023. The Qurrah supports Saudi women employees with allotting SR1600 for each child registered in the program.

The number of centers to provide children’s hospitality services approved under the program reached about 1,200 hospitality centers located in all regions of the Kingdom, while the number of children who have benefited from the program reached 26,750 children.

Qurrah program is an e-service provided by the HADAF that renders childcare services in Saudi Arabia with the intent to improve and develop the environment and facilities of the children’s hospitality sector while simultaneously supporting the expansion of working Saudi women in the private sector. The service creates a frame of communication that bridges the gap between hospitality centers, leading to marketing those services to guardians looking for efficient day-care centers to register their children.

The program aims to empower Saudi women with regard to their work and increasing their participation in the labor market, support their job stability, and ensure their consistency in the labor market while being reassured about the care provided to their children in one of the approved centers through the Qurrah platform. It contributes to covering up to 50 percent of the cost of hosting children from newborn to 6 years old with an amount of not more than SR1600 per child, with no upper limit on the number of children.

The Qurrah program witnessed several improvements with regard to meeting the needs of beneficiaries and developments in the labor market, including developing the electronic registration journey in the program and the support mechanism, and facilitating the electronic payment process through the website. It also empowers working women, who are registered with the social insurance and who fulfilled the conditions to register in the Qurrah program, through the HADAF’s official website.