The participants' visit to the United States of America comes in the second phase of the program after the participants have successfully completed the first phase which included direct involvement in the charitable work in a number of Saudi non-profit organizations and a series of educational programs and workshops. The second phase consists of a number of specialized workshops presented by academics and executives of US non-profit organizations at Columbia University, which was chosen to be the headquarters of the academic program. The workshops were followed by various visits to Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Ford Foundation to improve their academic skills and establish a scientific methodology for their applied practices in the non-profit sector. -- SPA 13:45 LOCAL TIME 10:45 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w454652