RIYADH: Ahmed Al-Rajhi, Saudi minister of human resources and social development and chairman of the board of trustees of the Charitable Foundation for Orphans Care, also known as Ekhaa, attended the iftar organized by the foundation in Riyadh. The iftar event was also attended by Saudi Education Minister Dr. Hamad bin Mohammed Al-Sheikh. In a speech he delivered during the event, Al-Rajhi congratulated the children for their excellence, distinction and success in their professional and academic lives. “I congratulate our children for standing out and shining in their lives. We are seeing their success stories unfold before us,” he said, adding that the achievements served as a testament to the leadership’s keenness to empower the youths and help them realize their aspirations. Al-Rajhi also thanked the Ministry of Education for its leading role in enrolling those facing special circumstances in universities, as more than 350 male and female orphaned students were enrolled in Saudi universities in 2021. Ekhaa has also provided distinguished students with scholarships abroad so they can continue their studies at the best universities. It has also placed a large number of the students in jobs that fit their academic specializations, while other students have enrolled in training programs to prepare for future opportunities. Al-Sheikh stressed the leadership’s eagerness to support children facing special circumstances by “prioritizing them when it comes to postgraduate admissions and on-campus employment as well as supporting them with scholarship programs and training programs that qualify them to enter the labor market.”