During its first year... Al-Widad Board of Directors leads a new phase of growth and development

The Board of Directors of the Al-Widad Association for Orphan Care achieved, during its first year (June 2025 - June 2026) of its fifth term, a series of institutional and strategic accomplishments that contributed to enhancing governance, raising performance efficiency, and consolidating the foundations of financial sustainability, thereby supporting the association's mission of caring for orphaned children of unknown parentage and enabling them to achieve stable family life.

In terms of governance and institutional leadership, the Board held 6 meetings during which 76 decisions and recommendations were issued, completing the institutional work system. The Board also formed its specialized committees, developed three regulatory bylaws, conducted a self-assessment of governance, achieving a 95.58% score in the governance assessment issued by the National Center for Non-Profit Sector Development, renewed the contract with the external auditor KPMG, and contracted with a specialized entity for internal auditing.

In the field of strategic planning and institutional development, the Board adopted the association's third strategy for the period 2026-2030 and the transitional plan including the new organizational structure, along with adopting the strategic performance targets and indicators for 2026, which are evaluated, refined, and monitored through an independent external consultant. It also approved a number of development initiatives related to the quality of assignment, follow-up, and partnership services, and adopted documents for assignment, care, and empowerment to enhance the quality of services provided to beneficiaries. The Board also approved the estimated budget for 2026 and the financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, issued by KPMG. In terms of work environment development, the Board followed up on efforts to attract human talents and qualify working staff in line with the objectives of the next phase.

In terms of financial sustainability, the association achieved a qualitative leap in building a sustainable financial system that enhances its ability to fulfill its humanitarian mission in the long term, as the basic regulation of Al-Widad Endowments was approved and "Al-Widad Endowments for Orphan Care" was established, where the endower stipulated that its proceeds be exclusively for the benefit of the Al-Widad Association, making it one of the strategic pillars supporting resource sustainability and diversification of income sources.

Within the framework of enhancing institutional communication and strengthening strategic partnerships, the year witnessed the implementation of a number of initiatives and meetings that contributed to supporting the association's presence and strengthening its relationship with various relevant entities. The Board of Directors visited His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Governor of the Eastern Region, at the Emirate headquarters, and was honored by his patronage of the ceremony honoring partners, supporters of the association's branch in the Eastern Region, and foster families. In terms of government relations, the Chairman of the Board made a series of visits to branches of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development in several regions and met with their general directors, emphasizing the importance of integration with the strategic partner and enhancing joint cooperation to contribute to achieving the association's goals and developing its services.

The Chairman of the Board also conducted field visits to all association branches in the Kingdom's regions to follow up on workflow, review the programs and services provided to orphans and foster families, and enhance integration between branches and the main administration. Additionally, the Board of Directors inspected the workflow at the Central Region branch in Riyadh, reviewed the temporary shelter model for children until they are fostered and the comprehensive care and rehabilitation services it provides, and met with the work team to listen to their aspirations and suggestions, thereby enhancing the work environment and improving the quality of services provided to beneficiaries.

The Board's committees recorded a high level of effectiveness in supporting the association's work. The Board committees held 19 meetings, resulting in 76 decisions and recommendations, distributed among the Performance Monitoring and Supervision Committee, the Audit Committee, and the Nominations and Remuneration Committee. These achievements contributed to raising the reliability of procedures and decisions, enhancing transparency and compliance, improving the quality of documentation and follow-up, in addition to raising the efficiency of coordination between the Board, committees, and executive management, and accelerating decision-making, which positively reflects on the quality of services provided to orphan children and beneficiary families, and supports the association's expansion and the sustainability of its social impact.