Manama: Saudis have heaped praise on Prince Mutaib Bin Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, the National Guard minister, after he allocated a monthly salary for a Saudi mother who was forced to work as a domestic helper to feed her child.
The prince also pledged to pay rent for the poor woman whose husband had abandoned her and left her in charge of their handicapped 11-year-old son. Her unfortunate conditions were compounded when the country’s social insurance refused to register her.
With the generous assistance from Prince Mutaib, the mother will quit working as a domestic helper and devote her time and energy to raising her son and meet his special needs, local news site Sabq reported on Sunday.
“I cannot describe my immense joy with the wonderful news,” the mother who was not named said. “I am deeply grateful to Prince Mutaib. We are truly fortunate Prince Mutaib became aware of our living conditions and [made a] decision to end...the suffering my son and I had to go through. May God bless him and grant him His rich rewards,” she said.
Last month, Sabq published the story of the Saudi mother in the Red Sea city of Jeddah who said that she had been forced to work as a domestic helper in homes to feed her son and herself after her husband walked out on them some years ago.
The woman said that she had applied to receive assistance from social insurance, but her application had been rejected.
She said that she and her son lived in a flat, but were kicked out by the owner after they failed to pay the rent.
Comments on the news site commended Prince Mutaib for his assistance and lauded his benevolence.
“He is a wonderful man who has shown great qualities,” one commenter posted. “We pray to God that all officials in the country act like him and endeavour to help people in need.”
Other users said that they were not surprised by the prince’s gesture, explaining that he had a remarkable history of assisting people.
Prince Mutaib was appointed Minister of the National Guard last year.
