King Abdullah pays surprise visit to southern village

His Majesty King Abdullah II on Saturday paid a surprise visit to Faisaliyeh in the southern Shoubak district to check first-hand on living conditions in the poverty-stricken village and listen to local community needs. The King directed officials to meet the needs of the village, including improving education and health services and finding solutions to poor transportation. He also ordered maintenance and rehabilitation of ramshackle homes after visiting some of the households in their residences. Residents of Faisaliyeh, a village of 700 inhabitants near Shoubak, told Petra the local residents were taken off guard by the visit which left a positive impact on them as the King listened to all demands and was keen to improve conditions of the rural community. Fawaz Lafi, one of those whom the King visited in their homes, said the royal gesture symbolizes the meaning of connection and reaching out during the holy month of Ramadan. "The King inquired about the condition of my family and our livelihood and directed those in his company to repair my house as I had asked for," added Lafi, who works as a muezzin at the village's mosque and is the bread winner of a family of 15. Teblah, a widow who lived with her daughter, spoke about her misery to the King who ordered the repair of her home and "betterment of their condition." "I was sitting at home when, to my surprise, I figured that the one who entered was His Majesty the King. I informed him about my condition and told him that I get paid by the National Aid Fund the monthly sum of just 90 dinars," she said. The King's unscheduled visit was part of his tours to check on the condition of citizens in the country's various regions. On the first day of Ramadan, King Abdullah called at the southern village of Taybeh which had suffered from recurring and prolonged water cuts and ordered authorities to find a radical solution to the problem.