JEDDAH: The India Fraternity Forum, a social service organization, announced its preparations for Haj with 1,000 volunteers ready to serve the pilgrims in the holy sites of Mina and Arafat.
“One thousand men and women have registered to serve the pilgrims,” E. M. Abdulla, general coordinator of the group, told Arab News. The organization began their Haj volunteer service eight years ago.
“We started preparing for Haj since Ramadan. This year, for the first time, members from the women’s wing of the organization will be deployed for two days in Mina as guides to help the pilgrims. A large number of people had volunteered to serve the pilgrims, but we closed registration at 1,000 because we couldn’t accommodate more,” he said.Haj guides in six different Indian languages have been trained by the volunteers service of the forum. Highlighting safety and health, a manual was distributed among pilgrims to educate them before they came for Haj.
A detailed map of Mina highlighting major roads and other landmarks is being updated for the pilgrims.
According to the forum this year though entry to the Haj Terminal was restricted for security reasons, the Forum had received passes for their volunteers.
“We were able to get entry passes because we are working in coordination with WAMY (The World Assembly of Muslim Youth) and the Indian Consulate,” Abdulla said.
The volunteers have been serving pilgrims since the first flights from India landed in Jeddah and Madinah.
The Indian Haj mission arranged first aid training program for the forum volunteers. The volunteer service in Mina will start from Dul Hijjah 7 under area captains, and will continue until the last pilgrim leaves Mina after completing the rituals. This team will also help in case of any emergency.
The help desk of the forum is operational in Jeddah to locate pilgrims round the clock, which is a unique feature of the forum volunteer service.
The help desk will help locate a missing pilgrim even when the pilgrim doesn’t have an identification on him.