Dar Al Atta'a - Muscat Confidential's Nominated charity. An interview with Lubna Al Kharusi

Muscat Confidential's advertising revenue all goes to charity. Our nominated charity of choice is an Omani NGO called Dar Al Atta'a.

Just to make sure, we asked Board Member Lubna Al Kharusi to answer a few questions about the charity; it's work, funding, problems, and the roles played by individuals, companies and the Government.

Even if you don't read the interview, go give money to Dar Al Atta'a. It's a good cause, and no public donations are used to administer the charity: all donations go 100% to help people. This is because Corporate donations fund all the admin costs. Neat model.

And of course, advertising on Muscat Confidential also goes 100% to those in need.


So here's the interview. I urge you to read what she has to say about demographic trends and unemployment at the end. And don't forget to enter the free Hi!FM giveaway to see Sir Tom Jones. It's not unusual, is it?

Muscat Confidential: Thanks for talking to us about the charity, Lubna. First up: What is Dar al Atta'a?

We are a non profit charity organisation that was formed in 2002. It started with a group of friends who wanted to help the poor in Oman by asking our family for donations to get things rolling. We formally registered the Charity in 2006 with the Ministry of Social Development so that we would be able to officially fundraise as well as organise events, hire staff and get properly set up to cater to the needs of the underprivileged. We cater to anyone who is poor in the Sultanate, of course our focus is on Omanis, however we have helped some expatriates as well.

Our main programs are:
1. The family care program: We provide aid to under-privileged families by helping them meet basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing.
2. The school program : This program provides uniforms, school supplies, books and nutritious meals to needy children as well as scholarships for higher education.
3. Hospital program : This program focuses on organizing entertainment activities for sick children at various hospitals. In addition to this, we also donate toys to the children’s wards at hospitals.

Other activities include the Let's Read! campaign, distribution of Zakat, Ramadan rations, Eid gifts, and distribution or sale of pre-used goods and clothing.

Something we are also looking at for the future is a micro-grant program for entrepeneurs, farmers etc whereby we will give grants to help people run or establish micro-businesses.


Muscat Confidential: What is your role at Dar al Atta'a?

I am a Board member, we are 8 on the Board. Mariam al Zadjali is the Chairperson (and the brainchild of Dar al Atta'a). As board members we pretty much do everything, though of course we each have specific responsibilities, like Eman Al Wahibi is the Vice Chair, Nada al Jamaly looks after the Family Care Program, Shatha Abass looks after Events, Sameera Sultan looks after the School Care Program, Rana Dabos looks after Membership & Volunteers, Ekhlaas Al Hashmi looks after Media and Promotions and i'm the Treasurer. We all help each other out. We also have some permanent staff and have just hired a new manager and accountant. Furthermore, the volunteers help out a lot when we have events or during peak times like Ramadan, Eid or before the school term begins.


MC: What are the challenges you face running Dar al Atta'a?

As any organisation we have some areas that require improvement, the first is our utilisation and communication with our members and volunteers and that is why we just elected Rana to be in charge of Membership and Volunteers. We would like to ensure full utilisation of volunteers and members and are therefore putting a program in place that will manage this.

The other issue we face is that charity organisations are a new concept to Oman, and therefore the mindsets need to be made ready for the idea of volunteering time, giving donations and trusting that their money will be utilised in the correct manner. It hasn't become 'fashionable' yet in Oman to be involved with community service, and people should be aware that even for the distribution of zakat and sadaqah, Dar Al Atta'a is an organisation they can rely on to distribute on their behalf.


MC: Of the funding you receive, what % is used running the charity and the management of the projects, vs the % that actually makes it to individuals and families in need?

100% of all the donations from individuals either through their bank accounts, cheques, cash donations or in the money boxes are used to help the needy. We finance our operating costs through corporate sponsorship, and usually the money needs to first be raised before we spend the money so for example all our staff costs are paid by a corporate sponsor. Money raised at events usually covers the cost of the actual event and that equates to usually less than 10%.


MC: Apart from making cash donations, how can readers of Muscat Confidential best help you? Is there anything you specifically need?

Tell all your friends about us and what we do. Come to our office and visit, volunteer your time. If you work for a company, convince your employer to donate to us either cash or goods and materials.

Do your spring cleaning and clear out your closet and home and donate to us whatever is in good condition, we collect anything and everything that can be used by someone else or sold. Furniture, clothing, books, toys, computers.

Convince your employer that they should have an HR scheme whereby employees can elect for an automatic deduction from their salary that goes to Dar al Atta'a and the Employer matches that contribution.

Send us your ideas. There are so many people who need your help.

You can contact us on 24692996, fax 24692044. our office is opposite the Pakistani Embassy in MSQ on Al Bashaer Road villa 119. email: info@daralatta.com


MC: I see you now have donation boxes in the supermarkets. Does this generate a significant amount of sponsorship money?

Yes, it is a fantastic source of fundraising, we have 400 boxes currently out and on average each one collects about RO 30 per month. People may not realise this but their spare change really makes a difference, each box almost covers one family's food rations in a month (to feed a family it costs us RO 35 per month), so please everyone keep giving us your spare change and encourage your friends to do the same. As mentioned 100% of the proceeds from those boxes goes to help families.


MC: I noticed for a while they weren't there. What's the story behind that??

Yes, the Ministry stopped these collection boxes so that regulations could be established around how they are managed. We at Dar al Atta have always given 100% raised in these boxes to charity and manage them using our office PRO whose salary is covered through corporate sponsorship of our operating expenses.


MC: Do you provide services to battered or abused women? If so, how can they seek your assistance? If not, do you know who does?

We currently do not offer psychological counseling, however we can help in other ways and have done so in the past.


MC: How many children and families did you help in 2009, and how?

We have an audited annual report that gives further details, but the highlights are:
New houses built - 6 ,
upgrades to existing homes 12
families sponsored - 84
Ramadan rations - 1666 families
School uniforms and stationary 3087 students,
daily school meals 655,
university and college scholarships full 29, partial 9


MC: Do you assist expats in need? If so, how?

Yes! Our focus is on Omanis, but we do help expatriates primarily in the distribution of pre-used items.


MC: Is there anything the Government could do to make it easier for Dar al Atta'a to be more effective?

The key thing that would make a difference today is online donations. The Government of course wants to control money laundering, and money donated online can come from anywhere in the world etc. At the moment the Ministry of Social Development has a website that represents all the local charities and you can donate online through their website, but we haven't received any money from their site to date. We would really prefer if donations could be made through our site, if they want to control money laundering they can set limits as to how much an individual can donate online via our site.


MC: Were you impacted by the economic downturn? Have you noticed any change in the demand for your services following the global downturn?

In Oman we did not really feel the economic downturn as much as other countries, we were still able to fundraise a similar levels to prior years, and the demand for our services is mostly a function of demographics, all those young kids who grow up not finding jobs, not being able to afford going to school. We have a young population and job creation is critical, and the need for an organisation like Dar Al Atta'a is there regardless of a financial crisis. At the moment as an organisation we give food rations which could be seen as handouts, but really they are an interim solution, our real objective is to empower people and help them change their situation for the better, through education, through job placements, through better living conditions, through possiblely in future giving micro-grants. We cannot ignore the poor and their current status, but we also shouldn't assume that their status is permanent, we have to help them improve their lives as a community.

The MONE publishes annual statistical bulletins and as of the 2009 bulletin the Omani population at the end of 2008 was estimated to be 1.97 million. Out of which about 47% are between the ages of 20-60 resulting in about 0.93 million employable Omanis.

According to the Ministry of National Economies monthly statistics (Feb 2010) 161,406 Omanis are working in the private sector, of which more than 67% earn less than RO 180 per month and more than 85% earn less than RO 300 a month. In addition (as of 2008 statistical bulletin) 116,154 Omanis worked in the Government sector and 8,251 work for government corporations like SQU, Omantel etc.

Considering that the private sector employs about 162,000 and the Government about 125,000, (totaling 287,000 employed Omanis) we are left with a substantial number (643,000 Omanis - about 70% of employable Omanis) who either are self employed entrepreneurs or are unemployed, of course a significant number are women who stay at home, but even if every woman not working chose to stay at home (so divide by 2 = 321,500), these self employed/ unemployed persons would account for about 35% of the Omani population between 20-60 years old. Furthermore, the Omani population is very young, so these youngsters will be in the job market for many years to come and it is critical that something is done to increase employment opportunities, promote entrepreneurship and to enable these people to lead productive lives. The government provided 48,462 (in 2007) with social welfare, which predominantly went to widows, the disabled, orphans, senile, and divorced women. Who is helping the rest?

Aside from employment, housing is another pressing issue. According to the 2003 census, out of the 430,996 households in the Sultanate, 13.6% are improvised housing such as tents, shacks etc (thats almost 60,000 households). In addition the average household size is 8 persons, whereby over 33% are 10 persons and above. Up until the end of 2007, the Government had granted 4,587 housing units to the poor predominantly in Al Sharqiyah and in Al Wusta region, where in Al Wusta almost 67% of the population live in improvised housing. In addition, the government in 2007 provided RO 4,825,809 in loans for low cost housing and RO 6,191,065 in low cost housing grants.

This is not enough, and the Government cannot be expected to solve all the problems, and they need to prioritise the neediest cases. That is where an NGO like Dar al Atta'a comes in, where we help people who would not be helped by the Government in the near future and meet our eligibility criteria.

But the number of people we can help is dependent on how much we can raise from the public, so everyone can make a difference.

Awesome. Thanks very much Lubna. Muscat Confidential is pleased to be a supporter of Dar Al Atta'a.


By the way, I'm sure someone out there can help them professionally update their website - for free, obviously. They would appreciate the assistance, and, lets face it, you'd be helping children, children who desperately need your help. Make a difference.

And send them money. Email them and they will send you a form. It's easy.

Remember: You can contact Dar Al Atta'a on 24692996, fax 24692044. The Dar Al Atta'aoffice is opposite the Pakistani Embassy in MSQ on Al Bashaer Road villa 119.

email: info@daralatta.com

Oman gets into the Bulgarian bridge building business

A strange little article in the oft over-looked on-line periodical: News Bulgaria about how the Sultanate of Oman has tendered to build them a new bridge over the river Danube, providing another connection between Bulgaria and Romania.




Who'd have thought we were in the bridge building business?

Oman interested in the construction of Danube bridge 3
Updated on: 05.12.2008, 11:55

The government of Oman has decided to participate in a competition for the concession of the construction of a bridge over the Danube near Silistra. This was announced by the mayor of the municipality Ivo Andonov, cited by Radio Shumen.

He has received a letter from State investment fund of Oman.

It announces that a team of international consultants, hired by Oman team, has presented extremely good data for the strategic location of the bridge.

The concession procedure should become active as soon as possible. Silistra mayor Ivo Andonov said that he will seek cooperation from the Bulgarian government in the next days.

Oman reduces oil price assuption for 2009 budget from $55 to $45

Oman is cutting the assumed 2009 oil price from $55 a bbl to $45 - a cut of 18%.

The Government was already forecasting a deficit based on $55, so indeed there will either have to be some budget cuts, or a big slice of money transferred from the reserve fund(s), or a bit of both.

Oman's economy, despite the efforts of diversification, still effectively runs Government spending of one form or another, and Government spending runs on oil and gas. The drops in oil price to less than $60, if sustained, will have a nasty effect on the local economy, which will reduce tax revenues too. OK, it won't be as bad as the recession in most of the world, but a chill wind will still be blowing.

Most Omanis don't know what 'lay-offs' or 'redundancy' mean. The only example I know of was the closure of the Gulf Air call centre back-office last year when the Oman Government pulled out of Gulf Air, and the papers were full of stories of shell-shocked Omanis worried about the fact they were in debt to the eyeballs and were about to be ... OMG!!! out of work. There was a strong expactation that it was up to the Government to 'do something!'.

If the sub $50 oil stays for a while, some of the local employees might start to find out what happens in most other countries when there is a big slowdown: unemployment.


But, as there is no system of unemployment benefit in the Sultanate, this would indeed be potentially devastating, what with school fees to pay, and debt payments to make.

As anyone who works here knows, sacking Omani employees is far from easy, if not effectively impossible without a clear case of fraud. Because of family connections somewhere, or if lacking wasta they will complain to the Ministries, who will then put pressure on the company to keep them on the payrole. This situation may come under some pressure in 2009, and that may turn out to be a good thing. I think the system should be radically updated to both provide some form of compulsory unemployment insurance and to make it as easy to hire and fire local staff as Expat staff.



Of course, under-employment is nothing new in Oman, but this sort of thing has been common for some time in the real world...

The National

Oman, Iran, budget on $45 a barrel oil
Tamsin Carlisle
December 03. 2008 3:35PM UAE

Oman and Iran are planning 2009 budgets based on $45 a barrel oil, following a record decline in crude prices by about $100 a barrel since July.

The Omani council for financial affairs and energy resources agreed this week to amend the average oil price assumed in the sultanate’s budget to $45 from $55, while Iran’s government and a parliamentary committee have an initial accord to base next year’s budget on $45-a-barrel crude, in place of a previous price assumption of $55 to $60 a barrel.

The revisions are likely to mean that both Gulf states will either run deficits next year or will have to slash government spending to balance their budgets.

The International Monetary Fund has estimated Oman’s break-even oil price at $77 for the current fiscal year, and Iran’s at $90, significantly higher than for most other Gulf states.

Record oil revenues earlier this year helped Oman post a large budget surplus of 912 million rials (Dh8.7 billion) for the first quarter of its current fiscal year, instead of a forecast deficit. However, sharply lower oil prices later in recent months will have eroded the state’s chances of avoiding a deficit for the full year.

...

HM's Opening Speech lays the smack down and points to a tough stance on Governmental Corruption

His Majesty made his annual opening speech a couple of days ago to the Majlis [Oman's pseudo-Parliament] with the assembled great and the good of Oman's Government.

Most interesting for me was the pretty significant and explicit threat to prosecute those using Government office for enriching themselves. Both his tone, body language, and the high % of his speech dedicated to this point, are highly significant and buttress the recent public dismissal of 2 key people for alleged iffy transactions.

Go HM.

Here's a translation of that part of his speech. See what you think!

The necessary pillars for any sustainable development are good Government performances in different sectors, serving the country and citizens with honesty and dedication and putting public interest over all other considerations.
…
it is worth noting that the government’s performance in laying the groundwork for sustainable development relies on those [Government employees] carrying out their duties, as well as on their supervisors. This places a huge responsibility on the shoulders of civil servants who are entrusted with the work in the various Government Departments. If their work is carried out in an honest manner and with a spirit of responsibility, distinct from personal interests, then they will be happy and so will their country. But if they stray from the right path and consider the job as a means to achieving personal gains, influence and power, and if they shrink from carrying out their duties with complete honesty and dedication, they should be held accountable and legal procedures should be taken against them in accordance with the principals of justice upon which we have laid down the pillars of rule.

In accordance with these pillars we are required to not allow anyone to be above the rule of law, nor to let anyone unlawfully affect either the interests of our people as guaranteed by the State or the interests of the community as protected by legislation and supported by our laws and regulations. Therefore we emphasise that the issue of enforcement of justice is imperative and inevitable, and that our monitoring apparatus is alert and dedicated to carrying out their duties and responsibilities in order to safeguard the country’s achievements.
…

here’s part one too, although the link seems broken.



and another fuller transcript from Digital Oman.

New Policy: Omani Government taxes safe drivers to subsidise young idiots

Ever noticed how incredibly expensive it is to insure a car in Oman? Its not because of Gonu making flood a big risk, nor is it (just) the super high rate of accidents on Oman. If you are an experienced driver over the age of 25, with no history of accidents or making claims, you are being effectively taxed to subsidise the insurance for an 18 year old male in his nice new high performance car.

Yep. In another brilliant Government sponsored initiative, this year the Oman Insurance regulator [the CMA] introduced a new policy, and a new mandatory proposal form. Car insurers in Oman are no longer allowed to ask the sort of important questions you would face if buying auto insurance in most countries, like how many accidents have you had, speeding tickets, who will be driving the car, etc. The insurers are also not allowed to restrict insurance to only drivers over a set age (regardless of the type or cost of the car), and they have been told that under no circumstances can a claim (even for damage to your own car, let alone the third party) be declined for non disclosure.

Now, the insurance companies still need to make money, even when they are forced to insure 18 yr olds who have a history of accidents and are driving nice new Dodge Chargers or Porsches.

So, what that means is the difference is coming from the rates they charge everyone else, including you, even if you are 50 years old, have never had an accident, and drive a Toyota Echo. It also means the insurers are fighting to try and skew their insured population as far as possible away from higher risk drivers, while staying within the regulations.

But, gee, thanks CMA. Like my insurance wasn't high enough already because of these young idiots risking my life and limb, now I even have to subsidise their adventures.

Did you already buy your land in Duqm?

Nice piece yesterday in The National about how Oman is asking for a tender for an International Airport in Duqm, a place on the coast roughly halfway between Muscat and Salalah, and previously nowhere's ville.

The Government has big, big development plans for the area - a refinery, port, dry dock, coal fired power station, etc etc etc... So, those who bought lands there recently are looking good. Funnily enough, it seems many people in the Government had been buying land down there for quite a while. How lucky are they that it later happened to be a site for massive Government investment!

If you're into speculation and have the local contacts it may not be too late even now, especially if you're willing to wait a decade or so. [Big Hint: You might also think about buying some nice beach lands around Al Ashkharah, further up the coast, Get it now kids while you can...].

Duqm is also close to the recently moved and resized Oryx Reserve, and is close to the Huqf, a generally uninhabited area of considerable natural beauty.


With all this extra cash flowing in, the whole region seems to be like a giant version of Sim City.

Oman invites bids for Duqm airport
Ivan Gale
September 02. 2008 11:00PM UAE
Oman’s efforts to diversify its economy took another step forward yesterday when it invited bids to build an international airport at the coastal city of Duqm, 600km south of Muscat, which will support a host of tourism and industrial projects in the remote coastal area.

The airport, which will be the country’s third international hub after Muscat and Salalah, has an estimated project cost of $200 million (Dh734m).

“It’s difficult to say how much the airport would cost but the government has set aside a budget of around $100 to $200 million for this project,” a tender board official said yesterday.

An earlier construction phase of the airport project, covering the initial earthworks, was put out this summer and has already received 10 bids from construction firms from Oman, India, South Korea, Greece, Iran and Turkey. The lowest bid for this phase came in at $70 million from a local contractor, according to MEED Magazine.

The Government of Oman plans to inject vast sums of money into the Duqm region. The travel and tourism sector will be boosted by new hotels, resorts and public beaches along this coastal area. Last year, the Sultanate received 650,000 tourists throughout the country, including many on chartered tours from Europe, and it has outlined broad goals to increase that number dramatically over the coming years.

Under the development plans of Oman’s Supreme Committee for Town Planning, private developers are also set to build residential projects along Duqm’s coast.

The region will also one day be home to a large industrial and free trade zone in a bid to stimulate Oman’s trade and industrial sector. A total of 21,000 hectares has been allocated for industrial development at Duqm, including a refinery, petrochemical complex and fisheries facilities. The adjoining free trade zone is envisaged as taking up more than 1,000 hectares, according to local news reports.

At Ras Duqm, located seven kilometres from the town of Duqm, a new port will connect the region’s refineries and industrial plans.

Under the plans, the port complex will cover an area of 1.2 million square metres and handle bulk cargo ships of up to 100,000 tonnes. Repair facilities such as dry docks and floating repair docks are also planned to service the oil and gas tankers that regularly ply the Oman coast en route to the Strait of Hormuz and on to the Arabian Gulf.
...

Cyclone Risk downgraded to 'Poor'. Nizwa wells drying up.

The chances of a cyclone developing over the next few days near Oman has been downgraded to 'Poor' by the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The winds are not allowing the tropical depression to strengthen, and wind speeds are dropping. For details see Weather Blog.

So for now, we're OK. There may be some high clouds and moderate winds over the next few days, maybe even some showers, but its nothing to panic about.

The rain in Nizwa yesterday is just that - a bit of rain. Which they need badly. There is effectively no Government water in the whole Nizwa area lately. People are having to buy it from trucks, if they can afford it. Many houses and Mosques in Nizwa just don't have water.

Meanwhile, here's a great pic a friend sent me, taken in April near a Texas oil rig. How would you like to see this out your bedroom window?

Oman Gov gets deeper into the shipping business

Recent press reports of the Oman Government buying 10 oil tankers. For around 600 million rials. Of course, the Gov are already in the LNG tanker business (which was an excellent decision) and the tanker business (in partnership with Iran) via Oman Shipping (owned through the Ministry of Finance).

Its a strange decision. OK a tanker currently goes for around $100k per day to rent. But payback must be more than 12 years, assuming half the rent is in costs. Must do more research on this.

What I find frustrating is the Government never actually justifies any of their investments. Just these self-serving announcements reprinted in the press. Anyone out there have any scoop on this with real data/knowledge?

In other news, it was interesting to note the Gov changed out the Chairman of Omantel following the crazy deal to buy a useless and expensive Pakistani business from a well connected Omani businessman. Of course, no explanations.