Kuwait’s aid to Indonesia hits $4.5 mln
Surgeries for blind in Jakarta held
EAST JAVA, Indonesia, April 25, (KUNA): The State of Kuwait contributed with $4.5 million in humanitarian aid to Indonesia over the past two years and a half.
The Kuwaiti financial allocation was disbursed for building mosques, schools and digging water wells, said ambassador Abdulwahab Al-Saqr during a ceremony held by the Indonesian Al-Bayt Charity, affiliated to the International Islamic Charity Organization.
It was held on the occasion of conducting eye lens opacity surgeries for a number of blind locals, with Kuwaiti donations.
Kuwait has built a number of villages in Indonesia after late leaders; namely the late Amir Sheikh Jaber AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in Panda Aceh for victims of the 2004 tsunami and Village of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah in Garut Java.
These philanthropic projects are supported by the International Islamic Charity Organization, Revival of Islamic Heritage Society, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Nouri Charity Society, AlZakat House, Kuwaiti Red Crescent Society and others.
Commander of the naval force in eastern Indonesia, Dara Anto, lauded the project for treating many blind people in the city of Surabaya.
Indonesia has witnessed alarming rise of blindness cases.
Meanwhile, Sheikha Mariam AlSabah, speaking on behalf of the Kuwaiti donors, affirmed that the Kuwaiti charities were seeking to help people in various parts of the world, according to guidelines of His Highness the Amir.
Abdullah Al-Mayas, general director of Al-Bayt society, said up to 500 Indonesians have benefited from the project, noting that a cataract surgery costs KD 60.
Al-Bayt society inaugurated “friends of the blind campaign” in 2017 to limit cataract cases in the Asian nation.
The Kuwaiti ambassador, accompanied by the naval chief and donors, visited patients undergoing treatment at a local hospital.
Director General of Kuwait’s Public Authority for Youth (PAY) Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi Tuesday stressed the importance of drawing up appropriate plans and strategies so as to serve Gulf youth and enhance their potentials.
Speaking to KUNA while partaking in the 34th meeting of GCC undersecretaries of sports and youth ministries, Al-Mutairi said such plans and strategies contribute to developing Gulf societies whose youth make up a large parentage.
The State of Kuwait has submitted a proposal during the meeting aiming to launch a program for outstanding students at schools to take part in national days held in GCC member states, he noted.
The program aims to boost leadership of GCC youth between the ages of 12 to 18 years, with the participation of all leaders at GCC sports and youth ministries, he said.
It further seeks to raise Gulf youth culture through visiting the most outstanding culture and heritage monuments inside GCC states, he made clear.