Report by Taha Sherif
KUWAIT, April 16 (KUNA) -- Out of its unwavering stance and belief, Kuwait continues, through its bodies and institutions, to offer humanitarian assistance that shows the country's keenness on helping friends and brothers in several countries.
Kuwait's Ambassador to Lebanon Abdulal Al-Qenai affirmed Kuwait's permanent eagerness to provide support to brothers in Lebanon, mainly in humanitarian aspects.
Speaking to KUNA while opening a building affiliated to the cancer children center in Lebanon, Al-Qenai said that Kuwaiti people are always aiding brothers over many years.
Meanwhile, Chairman of Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) Hilal Al-Sayer told KUNA said that the society paid some visits to this building and the center during the establishment period.
He noted that after the Beirut blast in 2020, the KRCS rapidly arrived in Lebanon, and restored and equipped some hospitals there.
Dr. Sizar Bassim, chief trustee of the center, said "Kuwait has been supporting us for 20 years." The building is a place where different programs on varied therapies will be offered, in addition to handing out aid to the needy, he told KUNA in a similar statement.
Hossam Al-Sharkawy, Regional Director of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, appreciated Kuwait's contribution to constructing this building, saying it would allow Lebanese people to continue their live despite their suffering.
Lebanese Red Cross Secretary General Georges Kettaneh extolled Kuwait's role in helping Lebanon. He told KUNA that it is not the first time that the KRCS and Kuwait help Lebanon, the Lebanese and the refugees.
The society supports and assists Syrian and Palestinian refugees and needy Lebanese families in various regions throughout the year.
In Lebanon, the society handed out humanitarian aid on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, head of the society's mission in Lebanon Dr. Musaed Al-Enzi said.
He told KUNA that the aid distributed to Syrian and Lebanese peoples included new clothes for Eid Al-Fitr that benefited 2,000 families, in addition to Ramadan food baskets.
There is an agreement with officials in Lebanon to conduct open-heart surgeries for some refugee Syrian children, he pointed out.
Furthermore, Kuwait's Ambassador to Belgium, and head of missions to the EU and NATO Jassim Al-Bedaiwi declared the country's donation of USD two million to Ukraine during a donor conference held in Poland, upon His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah's direct instructions.
The donation will be distributed to the UN agencies as follows: USD 500,000 to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, USD 500,000 to the World Food Program, USD 250,000 to the International Organization for Migration, USD 250,000 to the World Health Organization, USD 250,000 to the United Nations Children's Fund and finally USD 250, 000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross, he explained.
He said that Kuwait stressed the need for all parties to abide by the Minsk agreements and the mechanisms to follow up on implementing these deals, including achieving a comprehensive ceasefire in line with what was stated in UN Security Council Resolution No. 2202 of 2015.
In Yemen, Human Access, a Yemeni non-governmental body, said that the Ramadan food baskets benefited 250 families in some governorates. It added in a statement that some 119 other families benefited from the food baskets.
The aid aims to improve living conditions of the poor and displaced families which are suffering due to the lack of food and diseases, it noted.
Moreover, Kuwait Society for Relief said that it handed out 150 'tuktuk' cars to 150 beneficiaries in three Yemeni governorates.
The society is paying much attention to the projects that help the poor and low-income families, Adel, Ba'shen, a society official in Yemen, told KUNA in a statement.
The society further delivered 59 medical devices to a hospital in Shabwah governorate in Yemen, as part of "Kuwait beside you" campaign, he added.
In a related development, Maha Al-Barjas, KRCS secretary general, said the society is offering Iftar (fast-breaking) meals to thousands of workers inside Kuwait.
The project will cover 70,000 workers throughout the holy month of Ramadan, she said, indicating that the society has been distributing meals since the first day of month across the country. (end) tma.hm