Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has ordered a 1.1 billion riyal emergency-aid package for the country’s poorest residents as Ramadan draws to a close, Arab News reported on Thursday (September 2nd).

The aid will be distributed to the elderly, widows and the families of prisoners, among others, said Social Affairs Minister Yousuf al-Othaimeen, adding that the aid would supplement the monthly assistance the kindgom’s poorest residents already receive.

Research indicates that two-thirds of retirees in the kingdom do not own homes. An estimated 35,000 families nationwide are living in extreme poverty on $450 per month. Officials want to reduce the poverty rate to 2% by 2020.