Weekly roundup of Kuwait’s humanitarian efforts

KUWAIT: In keeping with its UN recognition as International ‘Humanitarian Center,’ Kuwait continued offering assistance to needy people in the Middle East and beyond throughout the just-ended week. On Friday, March 31, Kuwait Zakat House distributed relief supplies to Syrian refugees in Turkey’s southern border regions.

Field team of the House has continued executing a broad relief programs to aid the Syrian refugees, handing over food and financial allotments to the village of Al-Rihaniah, near Hatay city. They visited headquarters of a local philanthropic society and met with domestic coordinator for Syria’ relief Erhan Yemelek, on boosting coordination in the ongoing process. They examined the local foundation’s efforts, namely preparing food supplies for delivery to the refugees and a bakery that produces 140,000 loaves of bread, dispatched daily to Syrian regions.

The team delivered aid to refugees in Turkish city of Kilis, also located close to northern Syria that had been scene of rounds of deadly and destructive internal fighting. On Saturday, April 1, a medical delegation from the medical committee of the Kuwaiti Society for Relief (KSR) and the Patients Helping Fund Society (PHF) inspected the health facilities in Aden governorate, south Yemen, damaged by the ongoing conflict. The delegation, led by PHF head Dr Mohammad Ahmad AlSharhan, was made-up of PHF Director General Jamal Al-Fawzan and Dr Abdulrahman Al-Kandari, according to a statement by the PHF.

They toured the emergency center in Al-Mansoura Health Directorate, Kuwait pediatric hospital, the artificial limb center, the mental hospital, Al-Hosini clinic, Makkah ophthalmologic hospital and ‘Al-Sadaqa’ (friendship) hospital. In late Friday in Rome, the World Food Programme (WFP) honored Kuwaiti Ambassador to Italy Sheikh Ali Khaled Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in appreciation of his efforts in representing Kuwait in the program and his role in the humanitarian field. The WFP’s Executive Director Ertharin Cousin handed the honoring certificate to Sheikh Ali at a ceremony attended by senior UN officials and Kuwait’s permanent delegate to UN organizations Yousif Juhail.

On Sunday, April 2, Kuwait’s Patients Helping Fund Society discussed with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) the efforts to coordinate humanitarian aid delivered in Yemen through “Kuwait is by your side” campaign. During his meeting in Aden with the Head of Office for OCHA Yemen George Khoury, the society’s President Dr Mohammad Al-Sharhan said he is looking forward to seeing the outcome of this coordination.

In Kuwait, Kelly Clements, UNHCR’s deputy High Commissioner expressed gratitude for His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah for supporting humanitarian actions worldwide. Kuwait is a strategic partner for the UN Commission for Refugees, she told a news conference on Sunday. She said the UNHCR was looking forward for a “deeper cooperation ahead of the donors’ conference in Brussels,” which Kuwait is co-chairing.

Clements thanked Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) for donating $10 million to improve conditions of Syrian refugees in Iraq. She said UNHCR needed $eight billion to help the Syrian, either internally displaced or refugees in other countries. Another $200 million needed for Iraq, added Clements. The KFAED donation will help UNHCR improve services offered to refugees in five camps hosting up to 97,000 Syrians.

On Monday, April 2, the Kuwaitbased Mercy International, an affiliate of the Social Reform Society (Islah), announcing the launching of an urgent relief campaign for the victims of drought in Somalia. The campaign includes medical programs, food packages and mobile water tanks, to be carried out in cooperation with Kuwait’s Zakat House, the Kuwait Relief Society, the International Islamic Charitable Organization (IICO) and Al-Najat Charity, besides Qatar’s Eid Charity Foundation, head of the African section at the Mercy International Saad AlOtaibi said.

The University of Aden on Monday highly appreciated Kuwait’s support to the Yemeni people who are experiencing terrible conditions. The university honored the Chairman of the Patients Helping Fund Society and the head of the Health Committee of the Kuwait Society for Relief Dr Mohammad AlSharhan, offering him its golden shield.

The honoring came in recognition of Al-Sharhan’s efforts in support of the health education sector in Yemen within the framework of the “Kuwait beside you” relief campaign, according to a statement by the health committee. On Tuesday, April 4, Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) distributed 1,500 food parcels to displaced people in several liberated parts of Mosul. The KRCS operation was carried out in cooperation with local humanitarian organizations, Director of the KRCS Disasters and Emergency Department Yousef Fahad Al-Me’raj said. Me’raj added that this was part of “Kuwait is by your side” campaign, adding that the food aid covered the needs of newly displaced Iraqis escaping from the military operations in their area. The humanitarian aid that Kuwait provides to the Iraqi people will continue to cover many aspects of their daily needs, he affirmed.

On Thursday, April 6, “Kuwait is by your side” campaign has launched the third phase of humanitarian aid to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Mosul, north of Iraq. The Kuwaiti Society for Relief (KSR) is funding the campaign. The Iraqi Unified Medical Association for Relief and Development said that the new aid includes the distribution of 20,759 food baskets to IDPs in some camps in Mosul. Head of the association Ahmad Meshref said the aid was delivered under the supervision of Iraqi bodies and the Kuwait Embassy.

On Friday, April 7, KRCS has launched a fresh phase of its dialysis treatment campaign for Syrian refugees in northern Lebanon. This is the eighth phase of the KRCS’s campaign aiming at providing necessary dialysis treatment to Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Relief Coordination Chief at Lebanese Red Cross Yusuf Boutros said.

The dialysis campaign is a major part of the KRCS’s humanitarian and relief efforts aiming at the alleviation of Syrian refugees living at camps in Lebanon. Meanwhile, KRCS launched a new phase of its “bread glove campaign” aimed at aiding Syrian refugees in northern Lebanon. Boutrus affirmed that the campaign has proven quite effective in helping the refugees cope with the extraordinary living conditions. —KUNA