JEDDAH, March 12: A number of disabled women have started selling makeup and other beauty products from their homes as part of an initiative from a major cosmetics company.

Avon’s director of public relations Ghadah Al-Sabhi said her company was keen to provide jobs for disabled women and girls after it launched a welfare program at a recent employment conference in Jeddah.

Ghadah urged the private sector to open doors for disabled people and provide them with jobs suited to their skills and capabilities. She said Avon trained the new employees before they started selling.

“People with special needs usually have high skills. They are capable of defying their disabilities and achieving their ambitions,” she said.

Disabled women are slowly gaining a foothold in the job market thanks to the increasing help from the private and not-for-profit sectors.

Without an education or job experience, Amsha Tali’a Al-Mitairi never dreamed she would be able to find anyone who would hire her.

However, she recently began her own successful home business after applying to the Abdul Latif Jameel Community Service Program (ALJCSP) for a loan.

Sharifa Al-Wudhaihi is another success story. She received assistance from the ALJCSP and is now selling products such as incense, clothing and henna.

According to the latest statistics released by ALJCSP, the organization has helped 113,855 people since the program began six years ago in 2003.

“The primary aim of the program is to help transform the less fortunate from aid-receivers into producers in Saudi society. This is why we are continuously supporting people with micro-finance to upgrade their economic and social circumstances,” said ALJCSP spokesperson Sara Imam.

As part of ALJCSP’s goal of expanding its reach of social services to include the entire Middle East region, the organization has branched out in other countries such as Egypt and Syria.

Source: http://arabnews.com