Kuwait's humanitarian action continues unabated

KUWAIT, March 4 (KUNA) -- Kuwait carried on with its humanitarian efforts over the last week, extending further aid to the Syrian refugees in Jordan, the displaced in Yemen and Iraqi Kurdistan, and to Tanzania.
The philanthropic initiatives of the "International Humanitarian Center" were praised by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi.
In Jordan, Kuwait's Rahma (mercy) International charity - an affiliate of the Social Reform Association (Eslah)- marked its 300th aid convoy for the Syrian refugees.
The aid convoy costing USD 170,000 took to USD 17 million the total value of the charity's relief effort over the last five years, which benefited 179,000 refugee families based in the Kingdom of Jordan.
Following the ceremony, a recreational festival was held at Zaha Cultural Center in Amman where gifts and assistances were distributed to nearly 200 Syrian children orphaned by the ongoing conflict in their country.
Also in Jordan, a group of Kuwaiti volunteers initiated an extensive training course to produce specialists who will offer psychotherapy to Syrian refugees in the Kingdom.
Nasser Al-Bassam, who heads the team of volunteers affiliated with Kuwait's International Islamic Charity Organization (IICO), told KUNA that around 30 trainees have joined the program.
A 10-volunteer Kuwaiti volunteer team, Al-Bassam pointed, had also doled out aid packages consisting of food, clothes and sums of money to Syrian refugee families.
In Yemen, the "Kuwait beside you" campaign launched this week a project for helping the displaced and other afflicted people in the areas of conflict in Yemen's Dhale Governorate.
Aid was offered to 950 families in the directorate of Maris and neighboring areas.
The "Kuwait beside you" campaign has been operating in urgent relief aid in Yemen, providing food, water, education, shelter and health services.
Meanwhile, Kuwaiti aid was delivered this week to a specialized cancer hospital in Tanzania, as part of support to the Eastern African country's medical sector.
The aid aims to bring awareness to the suffering of cancer patients who are in need of treatments, Kuwaiti Ambassador to Tanzania Jassem Al-Najem said in a statement released by Kuwait Embassy.
In addition, the Kuwait Embassy organized a blood donation campaign in cooperation with Tanzanian MPs, to face shortage of supplies in the blood banks.
Also in Tanzania, the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) inaugurated 16 water wells in a number of schools in Dar es Salaam, in cooperation with the Kuwaiti-based Mabanee Company.
The project is one of many others being implemented by KRCS in Africa to improve the humanitarian conditions amid the current drought in the Horn of Africa region In the Iraqi Kurdistan, Kuwait provided aid including 3,000 blankets and 1,500 oil heaters, to Iraqis displaced in Sulaimanya province, "to alleviate the suffering of the affected people and provide them with urgent needs." In Palestine, Al-Falah Charity re-inaugurated, with contributions from an anonymous Kuwaiti donor, the Omar bin Abdulaziz Mosque in Al-Sudaniya in northern Gaza after renovation. The mosque had been virtually demolished by Israeli attacks.
In Washington, the UNHCR Filippo Grandi said that the State of Kuwait is one of the major donors for the UN humanitarian efforts.
Grandi thanked His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and the Kuwaiti government and people for their constant support to the UN aid agencies.
He made the comments during a reception, hosted by Kuwait Ambassador to the US Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and his wife Sheikha Reema Al-Sabah, according to a statement by Kuwait Embassy.
The UN official also commended Kuwait for hosting the three international humanitarian pledging conferences on Syria and co-hosting, with Britain, Germany and Norway, the fourth in London.
Kuwait is also lobbying with the European Union for a fifth donor conference for the displaced Syrians, due in Brussels later this year, he noted. (end) msa