‘Jood Regions’ Provides Homes for 10,000 Saudi Families

A donors gathering in Makkah, Saudi Arabia (SPA)
A donors gathering in Makkah, Saudi Arabia (SPA)
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‘Jood Regions’ Provides Homes for 10,000 Saudi Families

A donors gathering in Makkah, Saudi Arabia (SPA)
A donors gathering in Makkah, Saudi Arabia (SPA)

Each year during Ramadan, the holy month of fasting in Islam, Saudi Arabia's non-profit Housing Development Organization “Sakan” launches its annual Jood Regions campaign.

It aims to provide over 10,000 housing units for the neediest families across Saudi cities. The campaign launch includes events to raise awareness and encourage community participation.

These events, organized by local authorities, bring together entrepreneurs, leaders, and others to ensure citizens get suitable housing with ease and reliability, fulfilling the goals of developmental housing initiatives.

Abdulaziz Al-Kreedies, the Secretary-General Sakan, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Jood Regions campaign aims to provide housing solutions through partnerships with different sectors.

Moreover, the campaign wants to support non-profit housing efforts and local housing associations. The goal is to encourage communities to help the neediest families in their areas creatively, fostering social support and ensuring housing security for them.

The campaign organized diverse events across Saudi Arabia’s regions and provinces, involving government bodies, private sectors, universities, malls, and public spaces, totaling over 257 activities.

They used creative advertising, including local billboards, to reach communities.

The “Jood Eskan” platform is another project by Sakan. Chaired by Saudi Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, Majid Al-Hogail, Sakan aims to encourage community participation through innovative initiatives.

They also lead efforts to empower the non-profit housing sector for sustainable solutions.



Heavy Rain in Northern Japan Triggers Floods, Landslides

A road is flooded after a heavy rain in Sakata, Yamagata prefecture, northern Japan Friday, July 26, 2024. Heavy rain hit northern Japan Thursday, triggering floods and landslides, disrupting transportation systems and forcing hundreds of residents to take shelter at safer grounds. (Kyodo News via AP)
A road is flooded after a heavy rain in Sakata, Yamagata prefecture, northern Japan Friday, July 26, 2024. Heavy rain hit northern Japan Thursday, triggering floods and landslides, disrupting transportation systems and forcing hundreds of residents to take shelter at safer grounds. (Kyodo News via AP)
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Heavy Rain in Northern Japan Triggers Floods, Landslides

A road is flooded after a heavy rain in Sakata, Yamagata prefecture, northern Japan Friday, July 26, 2024. Heavy rain hit northern Japan Thursday, triggering floods and landslides, disrupting transportation systems and forcing hundreds of residents to take shelter at safer grounds. (Kyodo News via AP)
A road is flooded after a heavy rain in Sakata, Yamagata prefecture, northern Japan Friday, July 26, 2024. Heavy rain hit northern Japan Thursday, triggering floods and landslides, disrupting transportation systems and forcing hundreds of residents to take shelter at safer grounds. (Kyodo News via AP)

Heavy rain hit northern Japan Thursday, triggering floods and landslides, disrupting transportation systems and forcing hundreds of residents to take shelter at safer grounds.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued emergency warnings of heavy rain for several municipalities in the Yamagata and Akita prefecture, where warm and humid air was flowing.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urged the affected area’s residents to “put safety first” and pay close attention to the latest information from the authorities.

According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, one person went missing in Yuzawa city — in the Akita prefecture — after being hit by a landslide at a road construction site.

Rescue workers in the city evacuated 11 people from the flooded area with the help of a boat.

In the neighboring Yamagata prefecture, more than 10 centimeters (4 inches) of rain fell in the hardest-hit Yuza and Sakata towns within an hour earlier Thursday.

Thousands of residents in the area were advised to take shelter at higher and safer grounds, but it was not immediately known how many people took that advice.

Yamagata Shinkansen bullet train services were partially suspended on Thursday, according to East Japan Railway Company.

The agency predicted up to 20 centimeters (8 inches) of more rainfall in the region through Friday evening, urging residents to remain cautious.