By MUHAMMAD HUMAIDAN | ARAB NEWS

JEDDAH: Tarahum, the national organization for the welfare of prisoners, ex-convicts and their families, is organizing Umrah trips for 1,000 of its registered members in Qunfudha this month.

“A number of ex-convicts and relatives of prisoners are being sent for Umrah in Ramadan in order to instill in the hearts of the former prisoners and their relatives a hope for a better tomorrow. It will also make the prisoners understand that the society is with them and also encourage them to stay away from negative activities,” head of Tarahum in Qunfudha Husain Al-Shardi told Arab News on Monday.

In a related development, the Tarahum branch in Makkah has started distributing Ramadan food baskets and Eid clothing to registered families. The organization also accepts zakah for distribution among prisoners.

“The Makkah branch of Tarahum is helping 800 registered families. It provides monthly rations apart from school books and stationery to 400 families,” head of the charity organization Yahya Al-Kinani said.

He added Tarahum hands out checks worth SR500 to nearly 386 families every Sunday.