Bab Rizq Jameel (BRJ), an affiliate of Abdul Latif Jameel Community Services Programs (ALJCSP), successfully created more than 2,350 job opportunities for young males and females during February 2010 in different areas of the Kingdom. Jobs have been created through BRJ’s diversified job creation programs, which include training ending with employment, direct employment, taxi ownership, truck ownership, small project finance, productive household, work from home and franchise programs. Some of the jobs have appeared through support from the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) and the Saudi Credit & Saving Bank to the direct employment and small projects finance programs.

In February 2010, the direct employment program helped creating 189 jobs, with support in some of the jobs from the HRDF. The program matches job seekers directly to vacancies in the job market. Direct employment is achieved by analyzing job opportunities available with private companies or establishments, which send their vacancies to BRJ centers around the Kingdom, and defining the qualifications required for such jobs. The program created 143 jobs for males and 46 jobs for females. Among the most important jobs created for young males through this program were the central operators, security guards, sales representatives, cashiers, and goods arrangers, with monthly salaries ranging SR 2,500 to SR 4,500. For females, jobs created included sales representatives, receptionists, tailoring and public relations. Through the ‘training ending with employment’ program, 132 jobs have been created, of which 118 were for males and 14 for females.

Also during February 2010, BRJ financed 387 small projects, whether new or existing, provided that projects should create additional job opportunities. The average interest-free loan is SR 50,000. Among the projects financed were beauty salons, laundries, distribution of electronics products, confectionary and pastries businesses, female accessories, weddings business and distribution of mobile phones and computers. Maximum loan could reach SR 150,000 over a 5-year re-payment period.

Based on Grameen Bank’s microfinance concept, the ‘productive household’ program provided support to 1,564 females throughout the Kingdom during February to start their micro projects, such as handmade goods, perfumes and perfume mixtures, confectioneries and other home-based services. In this program, beneficiaries receive interest-free loans from SR 1,000 to SR 5,000.

During February, the taxi ownership program provided 19 taxi cars for young Saudi males, who can work as drivers and use their fully equipped taxi cars to transport people, and pay easy installment over a 4-year period at the end of which they will own the car.

Through the truck ownership program, 59 trucks were provided for young Saudi males, who can work as drivers and use their trucks to transport goods, vegetables, equipment and passengers.

In addition, training opportunities have been provided through Nafisa Shams Academy for Arts and Crafts, a program of BRJ, for 113 female trainees in diversified areas. Also, jobs have been created for 81 females through the ‘work from home’ program, which is supervised by Nafisa Shams Academy for Arts and Crafts. Through this program, approximately 2,200 prayer rugs are produced monthly and sold to Toyota and Lexus.

On the level of international branches, Bab Rizq Jameel Egypt created 581 job opportunities during February, while Bab Rizq Jameel Syria created 354 job opportunities during the same month.

Engineer Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel, Chief Job Creation Officer at Bab Rizq Jameel said that ALJCSP, since its inception, has successfully created more than 118,340 job opportunities by the end of February 2010. Jameel added that the driving force for this achievement was the support from Governmental organizations, specifically HRDF and the Saudi Credit & Saving Bank, in addition to the more than 400 male and female job creation officers, as well as the successes of the beneficiaries. According to Engineer Jameel, the plans for this year 2010 are to create 46,000 job opportunities and to open new branches kingdom wide in the near future.