Makkah charity sets up home for children born out of wedlock ~ About 2011About 2011

MAKKAH, Saudi Arabia - The Umm Al-Qura Women Welfare Society has established a children’s home to look after children who are born out of wedlock, said Dr. Hanim Hamid Yarkandi, an associate professor of psychology and the society’s chairman. “There are currently 90 male and female children at the home. They are provided with food, health care and education and social services with the support and supervision of the Ministry of Social Affairs,” said Yarkandi. She said the male children will stay at the home until they are nine years old and then move to other social centers while girls will remain there until they marry. Yarkandi said the children at the home are divided into 11 families, each consisting of six to eight children of various ages who are supervised by two nannies who work shifts throughout the day and night. Each family lives in an apartment consisting of bedrooms, a living room and a hall. “The children are registered in public schools and are looked after by a general education supervisor and social workers,” she said. Yarkandi said that when the males reach the age of puberty they would be told that they are orphans and have no one to look after them. “We will tell them that we do not know anything about their parents and do not know how they came to the home. This will give them the incentive to prove themselves and become good citizens,” she said. Yarkandi said the girls would not be told anything about their families as this will not be of use to them. “We concentrate on raising girls away from their family backgrounds or past. We do this out of our experience and not because of rules or regulations,” she said. Full Story>>

Makkah charity sets up home for children born out of wedlock http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article324729.ece