Sana'a: The General Authority for Endowments and Guidance on Saturday launched the fifth phase of its 'Cooperate in Righteousness and Piety' project at the Orphans Care Home in Sana'a, with an allocation of 4 billion Yemeni rials to support orphans and other vulnerable groups.
According to Yemen News Agency, at the launch event, Grand Mufti Shams al-Din Sharaf al-Din congratulated the revolutionary leadership, the Supreme Political Council, and the Yemeni people on the occasion of the Prophet Muhammad's birthday, describing the Prophet as a messenger of mercy who brought humanity from darkness into light. He highlighted efforts aimed at reform and improving conditions in Yemen, referring to the prolonged Saudi-American-Zionist blockade and its impact on the Yemeni people.
Sharaf al-Din praised the efforts of the General Authority for Endowments' leadership and described the project as the outcome of the authority's efforts to fulfill the purposes intended by those who established charitable endowments. He stressed the importance of caring for orphans, whom he said were specifically emphasized in the Holy Quran. He called on officials responsible for orphan affairs and society as a whole to provide orphans with food, education, care, and protection, emphasizing the importance of teaching them the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet and providing them with proper education and upbringing.
Sharaf al-Din also stressed the need to instill Islamic values, morals, and love of Allah and the Prophet in orphans, and to protect them from 'soft warfare,' urging officials and educators to pay particular attention to their conduct and character.
For his part, Chairman of the General Authority for Endowments and Guidance Abdulmajid Al-Houthi said the authority deliberately chose to commemorate the Prophet's birthday among orphans, the visually impaired, cancer and kidney-failure patients, inmates of correctional facilities, and other vulnerable groups. He said the approach implements directives issued five years ago by Revolution Leader Sayyed Abdulmalik Badr al-Din al-Houthi calling for Prophet's Birthday celebrations to be held among orphans, the poor, and the needy, while identifying their needs and bringing joy to them.
Al-Houthi explained that the fifth phase of the 'Cooperate in Righteousness and Piety' project has been launched with a budget of 4 billion Yemeni rials for the current year, bringing the project's total expenditure over previous years to 13 billion rials. The project targets orphans, visually impaired people, the poor and needy, vulnerable groups, cancer and kidney-failure patients, and students of religious sciences. He said the project reflects the principle that endowment funds should be used for the purposes designated by their donors and reach those entitled to support and care.
Al-Houthi also announced the authority's 'Tayseer' initiative, launched in connection with the Prophet's Birthday, to assist people facing financial difficulties through reductions, installment arrangements, and other measures aimed at helping them settle their obligations. He noted that the authority, in cooperation with the Yemeni Scholars Association, has organized events and scholarly meetings in various governorates to commemorate the Prophet's birthday and address issues related to the current situation.
Al-Houthi stressed that commemorating the Prophet's birthday should be accompanied by following his example and embodying his values and morals in words and deeds. He called for demonstrating love for the Prophet through obedience, compassion toward others, and care for the poor, needy, orphans, visually impaired people, and other vulnerable groups. He said the 13 billion rials spent on the project represents only a small portion of the endowment funds designated for charitable purposes, adding that recovering allegedly misappropriated endowment assets could significantly increase the resources available for such programs.
He also called on relevant authorities to take action against traders and influential individuals whom he accused of withholding funds belonging to patients, orphans, the poor, and other vulnerable groups. The launch was attended by Deputy Chairman of the General Authority for Endowments and Guidance Dr. Fuad Naji, authority officials, directors-general, scholars, and social figures.
Orphans Care Home Director Ahmed Al-Khazzan and orphan representative Ibrahim Al-Bilal delivered remarks highlighting the Prophet's Birthday as an opportunity to embody Islamic values and the Prophet's noble example. They also praised the authority's support for the home and called for continued efforts to identify and meet the needs of the orphans residing there.