Saudi Arabia’s Project Masam celebrates International Women’s Day in Riyadh

In honor of International Women’s Day, Project Masam, a Saudi initiative aimed at clearing landmines in Yemen, hosted a dinner banquet last Friday, March 8, to commemorate the occasion in the capital city of Riyadh.

A group of ladies attended the event, including Princess Haifa Al-Faisal, founder of the Zahra Breast Cancer Association; Ghadha Al-Fahad, a journalist at Al Arabiya; and Zafran Zaid, a consultant at the Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights.

During the dinner, the attendees discussed the crucial role of women in Saudi society and the significant influence they exert not only on the family structure but also on various aspects of the community.

Furthermore, the ladies also commended the women’s empowerment strategy currently underway in the country, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which has achieved unparalleled progress for women.

“Women play a pivotal role in the renaissance of both ancient and modern societies. There is no doubt that women constitute half of society and form the foundation of the family, upon which societies are built,” said Sumayah Al-Mahmoud, director of public relations and media affairs officer at Project Masam.

She added: “Empowering them means a conscious, empowered and capable society, and disrupting them is certainly disrupting society and delaying its advancement and progress.”

Another conversation took place during the night, discussing Project Masam’s humanitarian efforts in clearing Yemeni lands of mines.

Since 2018, Project Masam has cleared more than 55 million square meters of Yemeni land, including populated areas such as residential and agricultural zones, villages, educational centers, and roads.

The initiative has succeeded in ridding the country of a total of 434,576 mines, including both explosives and unexploded ordnance.