King orders support for underprivileged households in Ramadan

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday instructed concerned authorities to implement a series of initiatives to support underprivileged families, the elderly, orphans and people with disabilities as the fasting month of Ramadan is starting next week, according to a Royal Court statement. 

Based on the King’s directives to Royal Court officials, financial aid will help 30,000 underprivileged families around the Kingdom to secure their basic needs and improve their living conditions, especially during Ramadan, expected to start on May 27 or 28, depending on spotting the crescent moon (hilal) of the new lunar month.

The financial aid comes as an alternative to the charity packages that started in 2004, which used to include food support to needy households. 

The King also ordered supporting the Social Development Ministry to enable it to implement several activities during Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr, targeting various society segments that rely in their livelihood needs on government support or assistance by charities run or supervised by the ministry. 

The support is distributed twice a year on the occasions of His Majesty’s birthday and the fasting month, benefiting around 60,000 families around the Kingdom. 

Social Development Minister Wajih Azaizeh said the families were chosen based on transparent criteria through the ministry’s database and related studies of cases. 

He said his ministry had wrapped up all the necessary preparations to implement the Royal initiative and prepared the cheques and sums of money to be distributed to the families through the ministry’s 41 directorates as of Tuesday, so that distribution would be complete before the start of the fasting month.