Kuwaitis keen on humanitarian, charitable efforts abroad: Officials

Due to their continuous efforts within the domains of humanitarian relief aid and charity, Kuwaitis had made the name of their country known to many people around the globe. Speaking on separate occasions, a number of Kuwaiti relief aid workers said that their job was in line Kuwait’s leadership policy, stressing that the UN honoring of Kuwait as a humanitarian center and His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah global humanitarian leader was due to the Gulf country’s relentless effort in this field.

During their visit to the Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad village in Indonesia, executive at the Zakat House Mohammad Al-Otaibi said that the village included several facilities aimed at the service of the residence. This is a small gesture of hope that Kuwait would like to provide to the dwellers of this Indonesian village, said Otaibi.

Providing a similar input, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Waleed Al-Ammar said that Kuwait has several charity projects running in Indonesia, noting that the village was an important milestone for Kuwaiti relief aid efforts. The Ministry and the Zakat House continue to collaborate in Indonesia and elsewhere to provide help to the needy, affirmed Al-Ammar who commended other Kuwaiti charitable organizations for their efforts.

Meanwhile, Deputy Director at the International Islamic Charitable Organization (IICO) Salem Hamada said that his organization offered various kinds of assistance to the Indonesian people, noting that recently the IICO opened a Quran school where around 150 students learn to recite and memorize the holy script.

He indicated that the opening of the new village was an addition to the Kuwaiti long heritage of helping other people, affirming that the IICO and other Kuwaiti bodies will continue the country’s humanitarian mission.

Separately, Indonesia’s deputy governor of West Jawa Helmi Budiman has extolled the Kuwaiti humanitarian aid provided to Indonesians. This came on Tuesday in Budiman’s speech delivered during a festival of International Islamic Charitable Organization (IICO), co-sponsored by Sheikh Aisha Mubarak Sabah Al-Nasser Al-Sabah and Sheikha Mariam Al-Sabah on the occasion of opening two institutes: a training center for boys and housing units for girls. A number of Kuwaiti donors funded the projects in the Garut town in the province of West Java.

Garut’s population numbering three million appreciates highly the Kuwaiti projects, mainly the town as it includes facilities and an education body, Budiman said. He added that the institutes inaugurated today are considered the two largest ones in West Java as they are serving about 2000 male and female students. He called for supporting humanitarian and developmental projects in the province. Budiman lauded the level of the KuwaitIndonesia relations in different fields, voicing his appreciation to all Kuwaiti bodies backing his country.

Meanwhile, Sheikha Aisha Mubarak AlSabah said carrying out such developmental and humanitarian projects for Indonesians reflect the deep meaning of cooperation and solidarity amongst peoples of the Muslim world.

She added that the State of Kuwait and Kuwaitis have been backing brothers, sisters and friends who are in distress all over the world, expressing her pride for being in the Indonesian town to attend the opening ceremony.

She noted that Kuwait’s strong role in humanitarian action has caught the attention of the world and all global institutions. She recalled that His Highness the Amir was named by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in 2014 as a “Humanitarian Leader,” and Kuwait as a “Humanitarian Center” due to the efforts exerted in this regard.

In the meantime, First Secretary at the Kuwait Embassy in Jakarta Abdullah Al-Fadhli said Kuwait and Indonesia have deep-rooted relations in all fields, mainly the humanitarian action. He expressed his pride that Kuwaitis have been providing humanitarian action to needy people across the globe. Mohammad Al-Aloush, a donor, said such projects carried out in Indonesia aim to alleviate effects of crises and natural disasters facing the country with a largest Muslim population. Kuwait’s aid has been reaching all places across the globe, thanks to Kuwait’s men and women who devoted their lives to help needy people through such projects, he noted. — KUNA