New social development centers in Budaiya, Jid Hafs and the cities of Isa Town, Hamad Town and Aali

11-04-2020

In light of the Cabinet’s follow‑up, during its session held on 30 March 2020, of the progress of projects currently being implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Development to achieve the goals and pillars of the government’s programme in the field of development and social care, and within the framework of following up on the implementation of these projects that meet the needs of society in various cities and villages of Bahrain, His Excellency the Minister of Labour and Social Development, Mr. Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan, affirmed that the pace of establishing social facilities is proceeding in accordance with the goals and pillars included in the Government’s Action Programme for 2019–2022, aimed at meeting the development needs in the governorates of the Kingdom of Bahrain. In this context, Humaidan affirmed that work is underway to implement five construction projects that provide various services to serve different segments of society, in cooperation with the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning. These projects are: a comprehensive social centre in Budaiya, a day club for parents in Jidhafs, a comprehensive disability complex in A'ali, a social care complex in Hamad Town, and a social services complex in Isa Town. These projects, which were launched earlier, aim to meet the needs of citizens in various cities and villages, and to improve the quality and level of services provided by the government to citizens, particularly Persons with Disabilities (People of Determination) and senior citizens, as well as to meet the needs of families in terms of various forms of assistance, care, and social rehabilitation services. In this context, Humaidan explained that the Al Budaiya Comprehensive Social Centre, which has a total cost of approximately 1.4 million Bahraini dinars, aims to provide protection, developmental and social care services to the residents of the Northern Governorate, in the villages of Al Budaiya, Diraz, Bani Jamra, Barbar, Al Qaryah, Saar, Maqaba, Al Markh, Jannusan, Abu Saiba'a, Al Maqsha, Al Shakhura, Karranah, Al Hajar and Al Qadam. It provides various social assistance services, family counselling, and the implementation of judicial rulings to receive the children of divorced men and women, in addition to monitoring all the needs of the Bahraini family through comprehensive field social research. The Al Budaiya Comprehensive Centre will also receive jobseekers through the Employment Office, which handles recruitment and training in private sector establishments. Its mission is to rely on career guidance and counselling, as well as coordination between the Ministry, human resources departments in private institutions and companies, and the Labour Fund (Tamkeen), with the aim of providing jobseekers with the skills necessary for various jobs required by the private sector. The Al Budaiya Comprehensive Social Centre, which has a daily capacity of 550 citizens, offers family development programmes as part of the Khatwa for Productive Families Projects, which aims to support and develop home‑based family projects through training, appropriate funding, and specialised services such as marketing and management, as well as providing production units, design, and innovation for product development. This will enable families to be self‑reliant and open the way for them to enter the labour market and increase their personal income. It also implements cultural, awareness, volunteer, and social activities and programmes through community partnerships with civil society institutions and the private sector. This comprehensive centre includes a daytime social club for senior citizens, providing care, health, social, psychological, recreational, and educational services for this group within residential neighbourhoods. This aims to keep them close to their families and social environment, thus deepening communication between them and members of society. Another club is dedicated to children and youth, offering services in the field of childhood development through the implementation of projects and programmes that foster and enhance the creativity of children and youth in the cultural, educational, social, and recreational fields. In view of the desire of the people of the Jidhafs area and the neighbouring villages to have a day club that serves the elderly people of the area, Humaidan affirmed the establishment of the Jidhafs Day Club for parents in the Jidhafs Social Centre, on an area of (650) square metres, with a capacity of more than (100) elderly men and women, as the design idea was characterised by simplicity and modernity, in addition to taking into account the ease of communication and movement between the centre’s facilities, at a total cost of 343 thousand Bahraini dinars, and it is expected that the project will be received during the second quarter of this year after the completion of the construction currently underway. Regarding the services provided by the Kingdom of Bahrain to People of Determination, His Excellency the Minister of Labour and Social Development affirmed that the comprehensive disability complex project in A'ali in the Northern Governorate is nearing completion. It is considered one of the largest complexes and specialised centres serving People of Determination in the Middle East. It aims to provide care and rehabilitation for People of Determination in the Kingdom of Bahrain of all ages and genders, enabling them to integrate into society through empowerment and skill development, ensuring a quality of life for them, and achieving the principle of equal opportunities among all segments of society, and effective participation in the comprehensive development process. The esteemed government has allocated a plot of land for the construction of the complex, with an area of approximately 20,106 square metres, with construction taking place on a total area of 17,642 square metres, at a total cost of 8,680,000 (eight million six hundred and eighty thousand dinars), within the Gulf Development Program, with support from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development. The project is expected to be completed soon, during the second quarter of 2020. The Comprehensive Disability Complex consists of 10 separate buildings, each specialising in the treatment, care, education, and rehabilitation of various categories of Persons with Disabilities, such as those with Down syndrome, brain damage, autism spectrum disorders, and hearing‑impaired people who are deaf and mute. The construction and operation of one of the project buildings, the Abdullah bin Ali Kanoo Diagnosis and Disability Evaluation Centre, was completed during the previous period, and the project began operating in June 2014. The other nine buildings include four rehabilitation centres for people with mild, moderate and severe intellectual disabilities, a health and sports centre, a learning and training resource centre, an exhibition of products for Persons with Disabilities, a day club for rehabilitation and recreational activities, and the administrative building. The complex's capacity is estimated at approximately 1,500 people per day, in addition to 160 administrators in the main administration building. The opening date for these centres is expected to be announced very soon. A number of these centres will be operated by civil society organisations and NGOs specialising in the affairs of People of Determination, within the framework of effective community partnerships between the public and private sectors. In a related context, and in affirmation of the provision of care and rehabilitation services to several community groups, His Excellency the Minister of Labour and Social Development, confirmed the establishment of the Social Care Complex project in Hamad Town to rehabilitate juveniles and shelter them, consistent with international standards. The project buildings specialise in child care and juvenile rehabilitation, and in sheltering those exposed to violence and abuse of both sexes, as well as the vagrants and beggars, with a total construction area of 11,776 square metres. It is being implemented within the Gulf Development Program with support from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), at a total cost of 7,182,000 dinars. The project consists of six interconnected buildings, including juvenile care buildings for boys and girls, a services building, Dar Al Aman for sheltering male victims of human trafficking, Dar Al Aman for the care of women exposed to domestic violence and human trafficking, and Dar Al Karama for Social Care. Construction work is expected to be completed in January 2022. Regarding the Social Services Complex in Isa Town, Humaidan stated that it has been decided to rebuild and equip a comprehensive social care complex. The complex includes several centres and homes designed specifically for People of Determination and senior citizens, with a total building area of approximately 15,000 square metres. It is being implemented within the Gulf Development Program with support from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, at a total cost of 7,347,994 dinars. The project consists of six buildings, including the Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait building for the rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, a building for the care of senior citizens, the Isa Town Social Centre, the Isa Town Kindergarten, the Academic and Vocational Rehabilitation Centre for Persons with Disabilities, and a comprehensive building for sports and social activities. Construction is expected to be completed in November 2021, with operations scheduled for the second half of 2022. He thanked all partners and supporters of these development projects, including the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), for funding the construction and projects of the Comprehensive Disability Complex, the Social Welfare Complex in Hamad Town, and the Social Services Complex in Isa Town. He also thanked Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (ALBA) for covering most of the Budaiya Comprehensive Social Centre cost, and Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo for its initiative to finance the construction and furnishing of a comprehensive social centre.