UNB, Dhaka :Prince Turki bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the King Abdullah BinAbdul Aziz International Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, is likely to visit Bangladesh in the middle of January next to attend the handover ceremony of the 2nd batch of completed school-cum-cyclone shelter buildings.Prince Turki bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud is the seventh son of the late Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, and former governor of Riyadh. Prince Turki is currently serving as the CEO of the foundation, one of the world’s largest philanthropic organisations, both by endowment and proposed disbursements.Talking to UNB, an official at the Economic Relations Division (ERD) said a total of 27 school-cum-cyclone shelters constructed under the Fael Khair Programme for cyclone victims in Bangladesh are scheduled to be opened in the middle of January. He said the first batch of 34 fully equipped buildings were handed over to their respective school committees last summer and those are currently being fully utilised by students in their respective areas.Out of the 27 cyclone shelters constructed in the 2nd phase, seven have been built in Amtali upazila of Patuakhali while 20 others in Taltali, Barguna Sadar, Betagi and Kalapara upazilas of Barguna district.Prince Turki Bin Abdullah is likely to attend the handover ceremony in Patuakhali.The official said Islamic Development Bank (IDB) president Dr Ahmad Mohamed Ali sent a letter to Finance Minister AMA Muhith last month where he stated that Fael Khair Programme was initiated by Al Marhoom King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz who before his death has established a foundation called King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz International Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation to look after all of his humanitarian activities.The IDB President in the letter also stated that CEO of the Foundation Prince Turki Bin Abdullah, accompanied by a number of his brothers, members of the Board of Trustees intends to travel to Bangladesh to participate in the handover ceremony of a few buildings.The ERD official told UNB that the school-cum-cyclone shelters have proved to be effective in providing a long-term solution to the vulnerable people of the coastal belt of Bangladesh exposed to recurring cyclones of cataclysmic proportions.
