(MENAFN- The Peninsula)  The Zakat Fund at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs received 575 applications for social assistance in the month of November.

Zakat Fund, a charity dedicated to helping the needy through collection and management of Zakat, received 371 applications in its male section and 204 applications in the female section, reported local Arabic daily Al Raya.

Among these were 128 new social assistance applications - 83 from men and 45 from women. There were also 196 requests to renew expired applications, and these included 114 from men and 53 from women. Other requests included those for scholarships, made by 114 male students and 43 female students.

The fund also received 58 family assistance applications from men and 26 from women.

The fund studies each case and responds to every case in the shortest time possible.