Saudi Arabia-based Pakistani group recruits over 2,500 volunteers to help with Hajj pilgrimage this year
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Hajj Volunteer Group (PHVG), a Saudi Arabia-based Pakistani expat group, has recruited more than 2,500 volunteers to assist pilgrims in this year’s annual Hajj pilgrimage, a senior PHVG official said on Sunday.
Founded in 2011 with just 85 volunteers, PHVG has expanded over the past 12 years to now have thousands of members volunteering for the Hajj pilgrimage every year. The group works in close coordination with the Pakistan Consulate in Jeddah and the Pakistan Hajj Mission.
PHVG will assist and guide pilgrims on the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the Mina Valley, the Saudi Arabian city of Azizia and Mecca from the 10th to the 12th of Dhul Al-Hijjah, the Islamic holy month when Hajj activity reaches its peak.
“PHVG has registered and confirmed 2,838 volunteers for Hajj activities in 2024, and there are about 100 core volunteers in three regions – Hijaz, central and eastern Saudi Arabia – who are engaged in all preparations for Allah’s Guest throughout the year,” Ashraf Ali Khan, central coordinator for the PHVG, told Arab News.
According to officials, the PHVG launched its registration campaign on February 9 and it ended on May 10. The organization used print, electronic and social media to register Pakistani volunteers across the Kingdom.
“Any Pakistani legally residing in Saudi Arabia can become a volunteer and will need to register on the Saudi social welfare website for further permission,” Khan said, adding that all volunteers will have to complete two mandatory training sessions and an online exam before being finalized.
The official said the organization trained volunteers using audiovisual training sessions, instructing them on how to read the Mina map and use the mobile application “PHVG Hajj Navigator.”
“Since the volunteers are dedicated to helping and guiding pilgrims in seeking the reward and joy of Allah, they are not permitted to perform Hajj and will not be paid for their services,” he added.
Officials said the volunteers help Hajj pilgrims in five different areas, including providing training, mainly through videos and presentations.
In addition to this, volunteers guide pilgrims from all over the world in Mina, especially through translation, escorting them to tents and the hospital and helping them with wheelchair mobility.
“Furthermore, we are providing Tawaf-e-Ziyara to any pilgrim who falls ill during the pilgrimage,” Khan said. “Each sick pilgrim is accompanied by two volunteers who take him/her out of the hospital and send him/her home once he/she has completed the tawaf.”
