1,600 Red Crescent volunteers set to provide services to Hajj pilgrims

More than 1,600 Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) volunteers will provide emergency and awareness services in Makkah and Madinah during this year’s Hajj. More than 550 volunteers will provide services on the ground with emergency teams at the Grand Mosque and other holy sites in the Makkah area. Of these, 120 volunteers will be based in the Grand Mosque, 80 in Mina, 35 in Arafat and 55 in Muzdalifah. The remaining 1,050 volunteers will be based in Madinah and the roads leading to it and the Prophet’s Mosque.

The Initiative Centre at the Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz Foundation (Misk Foundation) had launched a programme to prepare volunteers for the Hajj season in 2019, in co-operation with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.  The programme, called Misk Al Mashair, which launched its first workshop in Jeddah, encouraged the culture of voluntary work and gave individuals greater space to participate in charitable work. The programme included workshops in Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, Jeddah, Taif, Dammam, Alkhobar, Jazan, Al Jouf, Al Ahsa, Abha, Tabuk and Qassim, as well as other cities across the Kingdom.

The one-day programme was attended by volunteers to learn about volunteering in Hajj. The workshop included an introduction to dealing with emergencies, problem-solving, communication skills, dealing with pilgrims of different cultures, working together in crowd management, and the ethics and values of voluntary work, all linked to the honour and value of participating during Hajj.