US embassy cable - 05JEDDAH1905

UNCLAS JEDDAH 001905 
 
SIPDIS 
 
RIYADH PLEASE PASS TO DHAHRAN, PARIS FOR ZEYA, LONDON FOR 
GOLDRICH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SOCI, KWMN, KISL 
SUBJECT: GOVERNOR OF ASIR SUPPORTS AL-BIR CHARITY 
 
1.  (SBU)  During a visit to al-Bir School and Orphanage in 
Abha on June 13, Poloffs met with Director Samiha Mohammed 
Dawood.  For 17 years, Dawood has worked for al-Bir, a 
charity which provides financial assistance to needy Saudi 
families and also supports orphanages in Jeddah and Abha. 
According to Dawood, funding for the orphanage and school 
comes by way of private donations, a large sum of which comes 
directly from the Governor of Asir, Prince Khaled bin Faisal. 
 Secondary funding comes from the Ministry of Social Affairs. 
 
AL-BIR ORPHANAGE WELCOMES SAUDI AND FOREIGN CHILDREN 
 
2.  (SBU)  Dawood works closely with the Governor's wife, 
Princess al-Anoud, who serves as the Director of the women's 
section of al-Bir Charity in Abha, and the Ministry of Social 
Affairs to maintain high quality care for the 98 orphans who 
currently reside in the hostel.  Dawood also helps bring 
abandoned children, both Saudi and foreign, to al-Bir.  As a 
clean, bright facility, staffed with professional nurses and 
social workers, the orphanage is perhaps the best in the 
Kingdom.  Girls at the orphanage attend the al-Bir private 
school along side with students who come from towns 
throughout Asir.  Students from Asir must pay tuition, 
whereas the orphans are supported by al-Bir Charity and the 
Ministry of Social Affairs. 
 
AL-BIR SCHOOL ENCOURAGES A MIXTURE OF ART AND ISLAM 
 
3.  (SBU)  The al-Bir School includes grades 1 through 9 and 
has approximately 600 students.  As a private school, not 
subject to Saudization laws which require public schools to 
hire 100% Saudi teachers, al-Bir employs approximately half 
Saudi and half foreign teachers, many of whom are Egyptian. 
Students are required to take typical core classes like math 
and science, but may also choose from a wide variety of 
electives, such as art and swimming.  In the summer months, 
creativity is encouraged and girls are taken on field trips 
to the mountains to sketch and paint.  Equally important, 
Dawood emphasized, is the study of Islam.  Pointing to a sign 
hanging in the hallway that read, "The Qur'an is our 
constitution," Dawood said such classes focus on teaching 
Islamic values. 
 
Visit Consulate General Jeddah's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/jeddah 
ABERCROMBIE-WINSTANLEY