Riyadh: Jasour – News Desk
The “Ebsar” Charity celebrated its 20th anniversary, having achieved numerous milestones over the years in rehabilitating individuals with visual impairments, leveraging technology for the visually impaired, and providing training support. Additionally, the charity has worked on combating blindness and raising community awareness about the causes of visual impairments and prevention methods.
The Chairman of the Board, Engineer Abdulrahman Al-Khariji, opened the ceremony by welcoming the charity’s guests and ambassadors. In his speech, he praised the generous support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and the Crown Prince, Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. He noted that this support is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to support charitable and humanitarian work, embodying the highest values of community solidarity and mutual support among the citizens.
The CEO of “Ebsar,” Amal bint Hamdan Al-Hunaity, stated that the number of beneficiaries has risen to 5,143 during the current board’s term. The charity provides continuous health, psychological, and social follow-up, addressing the beneficiaries’ living needs, and offering services and tools compatible with their visual impairments.
Al-Hunaity announced the launch of the “Your Eyes Are Precious to Us” campaign at their headquarters in Al-Rawdah as part of their blindness prevention programs, offering free eye check-ups for both genders from the 11th to the 15th of the holy month. She highlighted the success of the “Diyaa 1” project through the national charity platform “Ihsan,” which conducted 178 precise surgical operations, including 42 cataract surgeries, with 573 cases under review.
The celebration, organized by a group of individuals with visual impairments and presented by the visually impaired Khaled Al-Harbi, included a tribute to the past chairpersons over the past twenty years. This tribute honored Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (May he rest in peace), a supporter, founder, and honorary chairman of the charity, and Counselor Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al-Hamdan, the late Chairman of “Ebsar.” A commemorative plaque was also presented to Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Ali, the first Chairman of the Board.
The charity honored its current supporters, including the “Ihsan” platform, the Abdullah Taha Baksh endowment, the Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Jomaih endowment, the Arabian Oil Company “Aramco,” the National Center for Non-Profit Sector Development, and the Ministry of Health, represented by the Supervisory Unit for Non-Profit Health Organizations. The event featured a musical operetta performed by members of the charity with special needs, a poetry reading, a documentary film about the charity, and an accompanying exhibition with contributions from the visually impaired Omar Al-Suhaibani, who used Braille to depict scenes and landmarks for his visually impaired peers, the blind artist Nora Hamoud, and other participants in Braille printing.
The “Ebsar” Charity was founded on Ramadan 10, 1424 AH, as the first Saudi and Arab charity specializing in services for individuals with visual impairments and rehabilitation. The charity aims to promote a culture of caring for individuals with visual impairments, moving them out of darkness, focusing on their rehabilitation at all levels, and providing necessary tools for the blind, such as visual aids, electronic canes, Braille books, and boards.
