Dedicating her life to a charitable cause as the Chairwoman of the Association for the Welfare of Handicapped Children in Oman, Her Highness Sayyida Hujaija Jaifer Al Said is an individual with a vision to promote special needs across Oman.
The first time I met her was for a brief time for an art exhibition called ‘In Parallel’ by Bahraini artist and Royal, Sheikh Rashid Al Khalifa, and held at the Bait Al Muzna Gallery. She appeared to be polite, down to earth, well spoken, intelligent, and most importantly, passionate towards her works of charity for those with special needs in Oman.
A mother to three daughters, a graduate from the American University in Cairo, and a trendsetter in Oman, HH Sayyida Hujaija’s initial foray into business was opening a showroom within a commercial mall aimed at providing uniforms of all kinds to its clients. “I was the first one to do so, and this allowed many people to go in and place orders as needed,” she reminisced. A few years later, she was able to pursue her desire to do charitable work. Her charitable foundation also reflected her entrepreneurial streak.
As for how she began supporting people, she explains: “When my daughters became older, I was free to do charity work. I started by helping promote women who were setting up new businesses and shops. I would attend their inaugurations so they could benefit from the presence of a member of the Royal family. It would give them exposure as well as business from VIP customers. It was in this context that I was supporting these small enterprises.”
HH Sayyida Hujaija’s commitment towards her charitable work, took a turn with her mother’s passing. “I decided to dedicate my work for those with disabilities to my mother.” Although the Association was established 30 years ago, HH Sayyida Hujaija has been a part of it for just four. There is a total of 11 disability centres situated all over Oman. “I joined the association through nomination and for four years, have been working as their voluntary Chairwoman,” she says. Her role is that of a Financial Personnel.
The disability centres provide care to children aged 5 to 14 years. Since a lot of the children have mental disabilities, they are taught the basics of the Holy Quran, Math, and Arabic. The centres also provide care for autistic children and functions like a regular school, operating from 8:00AM to 3:30PM. In addition, the centres organise various activities such as carnivals and fundraisers which is essential for the continuous operation of the Association. As for her role, HH Sayyida Hujaija explains: “I would describe my job as an individual who is responsible for maintaining the continuous operation of the Association and to ensure it does not shut down. Also, to ensure, there are proper rehabilitation facilities and staff in place.”
Charitable foundations and charity providers face a lot of challenges each day, one of which is the constant need to be mentally available: “By volunteering as a Chairwoman, you have to be mentally available 24 hours a day; thinking of new strategies and ways to raise funds for the Association and its children, as well as what kinds of activities need to be included to improve the level and quality of work we do. Also, remaining consistent in terms of networking is beneficial to the Association. You need to be proactive in attending events and interacting with ministers and prominent personalities, all of which helps the Association. Thanks to their help and by the grace of God, I can continue to achieve this successfully,” she said.
The Government of Oman plays a generous role in supporting the Association. Speaking about their role and why it’s important, she explains: “The Government supports us annually by allocating funds to the Association. Their role also includes guiding us or visiting the Association to ensure we are adhering to International quality standards and conducting our work in the right manner.” Further, she emphasised on the importance the Government gives to the subject of disabilities. She states: “The government cares a lot about integrating the importance of supporting those with disabilities as part of their mainstream agenda.” In fact, she also talks about the first-hand experiences she has gotten, which in turn has assisted her in maintaining the smooth operation of the Association. She tells us: “I get to visit government-run disability centres regularly to gain experience from them. I have observed the way they take care of children and ensure each child receives the right level of rehabilitation.”
While her focus has always been on children with disabilities, she has always shown her willing to support and help adults as well. she explains: “I attended an event recently which was designed to provide jobs to adults with disabilities. It was a conference that took place for the second time in 2020. In the year prior many adults with disabilities were successful in securing jobs, the 2020 event was held following the success of the first.” She emphasised on the importance of such events adding: “I strongly advocate for such initiatives, where there is room for development and support for individuals with disabilities.”
The association plays an active role in motivating and cheering on children with disabilities by organising fun days and teaching them to socialise in the real world. Children from other schools are invited to mix with children from the Association, which is essential for acceptance of oneself and from others. HH Sayyida Hujaija described some such activities for us: “We organise a lot of carnivals which ensure people really have fun and play together. The special needs children attend such events free of cost and are treated to food and entertainment. During Ramadan, we conduct special shows where children can dress up in Omani outfits which they really enjoy. We also do a sports day for them by bringing together all private and government centres and conducting a competition between them.”
As for her perspective on her own management style, HH Sayyida Hujaija says that she is an admirer of perfection. “I like perfection and I meet with the Association every two months to discuss what needs to be done, and how and where the funds we receive can be spent.” She further explains that since she is not professionally educated in special needs, she cannot interfere much with that particular aspect of the Association. “My job is more from a financial perspective; the management is responsible for regulating everything at the association.”
However, while the centre has been closed since March 2020 as a result of the current pandemic, for HH Sayyida Hujaija, this did not prevent her from planning a string of events for a COVID free future. She tells me: “There is one carnival and two charity events which have been lined up, that include exhibitions featuring businesswomen. Visitors attending the event will be charged an entry fee of RO 1; all proceeds from the event will go to the Association.” The event also includes a special list of attendees: “I always invite the VVIPs in Oman to attend, so they can have a cup of tea and start shopping. As for the businesswomen, they look forward to such events as it serves as an excellent opportunity to network with a huge VVIP clientele.” It is worth mentioning that a lot of these businesswomen gained fame through HH Sayyida Hujaija’s brainchild exhibition.
The lessons learnt from working at the association and its children are memorable and exciting. Reflecting on these lessons and moments, she says “I feel at peace when I am with them. Whenever you are sad and sit with them, an innocent smile comes directly from their heart, and motivates you to work even harder for them. Further, any form of appreciation you receive from their parents, such as a simple ‘thank you for making my child walk’ or ‘thank you for your services’, feels great. The parents of these children are in the toughest spot, and when they appreciate what we do, it makes me glad that we could help them.”
HH Sayyida Hujaija’s commitment and love for children is undoubtedly one of her biggest motivators to initiate and consistently work towards giving them a better life. Her desire to actively rally behind their needs and ensure they are well looked after has helped many. There will no doubt be many more lives she will touch in the future, thanks to her continued dedication and passion for a happier world full of innocent smiles!