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SDG 1: NO POVERTY

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Saudi Arabia has the lowest reported poverty rate in the Middle East and the 10th lowest poverty rate in the world at 12.7 percent, as of 2017.Throughout Saudi history, charity has been the central approach to addressing the issue of poverty. In 2002, after Abdullah Bin Abdullaziz became the king of KSA, he created the National Poverty Reduction Strategy and the Supplementary Support Programs which started to distribute monthly and one-time payments to poor families through the labor ministry. Furthermore, in 2016, king Mohammad Bin Salman announced Vision 2030 as a reform project. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.

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Outstanding student support

Image removed.Al Maarefa University (UM) has worked hard with the communities to establish a partnership with different bodies in order to help low-income student pursue their dreams by continuing their higher education in higher academic institutions. The UM helps turn student’s dreams into an opportunity by providing them with the jobs and in cooperate them into various scholarship programs. For example; UM has assisted students via Social Charity Funds (SCF), Orphanage Care Society, and agencies that offered discount without conditions to lower income students. The UM extends its partnership to different organizations that help low-income students to pursue their degrees in higher academic institutions education which is the ultimate goal of the UM. In addition, UM set a side and gives students money in the form of grants to help them continue with their studies after King Abdullah Scholarship Program ceased indefinitely. This grant is offered to students on a discount basis, and costs the UM around five million Saudi Riyals (SR.5, 000,000) per year.

Low Income student support

UM supports the students from low income families to complete their studies, through different subsidize schemes. For example, UM has contract with a third party to provide low price menu food for student. UM have a contract with "qawafal alrushd" company to provide student with special discount for transportation, for the same purpose UM also has an agreement with Uber and Kareem companies. Al Maarefa University appointed "Alnadhir" law firm to assist the university staff and student including the low income.

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