The Largest Voluntary Activity in the Eastern Province... KFUPM Organized the 11th Volunteer Festival

On February 2, 2019, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) organized the 11th Volunteer Festival, the largest voluntary activity in the Eastern Province. It assists KFUPM’s mission, which aims to serve the community through various voluntary programs attended by students and the KFUPM community. The activity targeted many health & environmental sectors, homes for the elderly, correctional centers and traffic safety.

During the opening of the festival in building 11, KFUPM Rector, Dr. Sahel N. Abduljauwad, said that voluntary work is not a secondary matter in the life of the university student. It is a fundamental pillar in building an integrated personality in order to contribute productively to society. It is also one of the pillars of Saudi Vision 2030, which stresses the importance of instilling a culture of volunteering among the members of society, in order to raise the number of volunteers to one million by the end of 2030.

The Rector stressed that participation in the volunteer day has become an annual gift offered by the university students to the people of the Eastern Province. This activity is a part of KFUPM system to prepare qualified graduates with all the tools of excellence for becoming active and influential citizens in society. Volunteering is also a part of KFUPM experience and one that KFUPM is keen to provide to students. Volunteering bridges the gap between academic achievement excellence and excellence in values, behavior, skills and good citizenship.

KFUPM’s efforts in the field of voluntary and non-profit work are varied. KFUPM is enhancing its voluntary roles, maximizing its results and multiplying its impact in improving social standards. In addition to organizing this annual festival, KFUPM has established a center of excellence for the development of non-profit organizations that aims to provide institutional support related to the development and building the capacity of non-profit organizations. KFUPM also organizes workshops around the theme of ‘Management of Non-profit Organizations’. This has become an annual forum aimed at strengthening the role of the non-profit sector to support the public and private sectors. KFUPM also launched “Edamah” project, which organizes, adapts and upgrades the tools of volunteer work and transforms them into institutional work. KFUPM also established the headquarters of Al Fozan Academy for the development of the leaders of non-profit organizations that supports the leaders of non-profit organizations with best international practices.

Al Fozan Academy’s activities comprise15 voluntary programs, out of which 39 projects were implemented. These were summarized in 6 different categories, such as maintenance of public facilities: the "Shokran" (Thank you) initiative for the workers; the "Alam" (Science) initiative aimed at secondary students that assists students learn qualitative abilities such as the method of passing the Qiyas test; the “Elham” (Inspiration) initiative; the "Ziyarat" program for visiting patients and the elderly, as well as the “Takaful” program.