Kuwait pursues relief effort in disaster areas
KUWAIT: Living up to its UN-bestowed status as an International Humanitarian Center, Kuwait continued responding to natural and man-made emergencies across the Middle East and beyond over last week. On Saturday, Jan 27, Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) Chairman Hilal Al-Sayer underlined the significance of development projects for people affected by natural disasters. Upon arrival in the Philippines to launch a Kuwaiti humanitarian project there, Sayer said that the Kuwait-funded humanitarian initiatives mirror Kuwait’s bright image worldwide.
He said he was in the Philippines in order to open a Kuwaiti humanitarian village in Samar in Visayas Province, east of the Philippines, which was hit by typhoon in November 2013 and left thousands of people dead and caused stupendous damage nationwide. The Kuwaiti Humanitarian Village is home to 297 housing units, he said, quoting His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah as having announced a bountiful donation of $10 million in emergency relief aid to typhoon-hit people in the Philippines. It took a couple of years to complete the humanitarian project, with relevant international safety criteria having been met, the KRCS chief boasted. The KRCS was in the forefront of the societies that had immediately responded to calls for humanitarian and relief aid to the Philippines, he pointed out.
On Monday, Jan 29, KRCS unlocked a new suburb bearing the name of Kuwait in the eastern Filipino province of Samar. The Southeast Asian archipelago of the Philippines now welcomes its newest suburb christened, “Kuwait Humanitarian Village,” with 297 housing units, a KRCS statement cited Sayer as saying.
He hailed Kuwait’s prompt and effective aid to the Philippines, saying the village’s name was a reference to Kuwait’s UN bestowed moniker of “Humanitarian Center.” The KRCS Chairman thanked Filipino officials for their cooperation and support, which proved instrumental in making this fledgling village see the light of day. “KRCS remains steadfast in its commitment to address humanitarian challenges, including poverty and malnutrition, all over the world,” Sayer pointed out. Disaster-prone the Philippines is battered by some 20 typhoons a year, leaving millions of Filipinos vulnerable and underprepared for such calamities.
On Friday, Feb 2, KRCS distributed humanitarian assistance to earthquake victims near Halabja province, Kurdistan-Iraq region. The “Kuwait beside you” campaign, funded by KRCS, has delivered 2,000 food supplies to inflicted victims in Kurdistan region, said Kuwait’s Consul General in Irbil Omar AlKanderi.
The distribution of aid is part of humanitarian campaigns under the guidance of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah, he added. Meanwhile, Yonis Abdelsalam, a representative from Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS) hailed Kuwait’s humanitarian efforts to earthquake victims and to those in special need and expressed gratitude for such support. Since the 7.1 magnitude earthquake, KRCS have supplied 90 tons of food aid as well as 60,000 liters of white oil, he noted. It was the largest earthquake to hit the region since the 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Saravan in 2013 in Iran, killing 35 people. —KUNA