Endowments Affairs Council reviews and approves reports
The General Secretariat of Endowments announced on Wednesday that the Endowments Affairs Council held its 103rd meeting, chaired by Minister of Justice and Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Dr Mohammad Al-Wasmi, at the Secretariat’s headquarters in Dasma.
The Secretary of the Endowments Affairs Council and Director of the Planning and Follow-up Department at the General Secretariat, Jassim Bugaith, said in a press statement that the Council discussed many topics, reviewed, and approved several reports, namely the report on the achievements of the work units of the General Secretariat of Endowments for the year 2023, the annual achievement report of the Sharia Committee for the year 2023, the annual endowment projects committee for the year 2023, in addition to the annual audit committee report for the year 2023.
Bugaith added that the report on what was accomplished in the preparatory year 2022 was reviewed and approved in the document of the strategic plan of the General Secretariat of Endowments for the years 2023–2028, in implementation of Endowments Affairs Council Resolution No. 99. Bugaith explained that the Council meets at least four times a year or when needed, and it is the Supreme Authority supervising endowment affairs that makes the necessary decisions and achieves the purposes for which the Secretariat was established.
He explained that the Council is concerned with drawing up the general policy for managing and investing endowment funds, setting systems and regulations that ensure the development of endowment revenues and their regular collection, and maintaining and preserving endowment assets, in addition to approving the internal organization of the Secretariat.
The Council’s responsibilities also include approving the annual revenues and expenditures of endowment funds and their final accounts, selecting the Secretariat’s audit office, reviewing the periodic reports submitted by the Secretary-General on the progress of work in the Secretariat, and reviewing all matters related to the Secretariat’s activity that the Chairman of the Council deems necessary to present.
It is noteworthy that the Endowment Affairs Council, headed by the Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, includes in its membership the Secretary-General of the General Secretariat of Endowments, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, the Director-General of the Social Insurance Institution, the Director-General of the Zakat House, a representative of the Ministry of Finance, and a representative of the Public Investment Authority, in addition to three members with experience and expertise. — KUNA
Life Charity: More than 279 thousand beneficiaries of “water supply” in Gaza
As part of its ongoing efforts to support the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the Projects and Programs Advisor at Life Charity Association, Dr. Muhammad Al-Barrak, announced that the association has distributed 161 water tankers in various areas of Gaza, benefiting more than 279 thousand beneficiaries, since the beginning of the crisis.
Al-Barrak added: "The Life Charity Society, along with its sister Kuwaiti societies, continues to support the difficult humanitarian situation in Gaza through various humanitarian projects, including the "Water Supply" project. The Life Charity Society works in cooperation with charitable organizations inside Gaza licensed by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs and under the supervision of the Ministry of Social Affairs to alleviate the suffering of the displaced in obtaining drinking water in light of the severe crisis and continuous bombing. For example, during last July, the society distributed water to displaced families in the Deir al-Balah area and northern Gaza Strip through water tankers, and they are continuing to distribute to other areas. Al-Barrak pointed out the importance of the "Water Supply" project, as it is one of the most important areas of charity and goodness, due to the solidarity and compassion in providing clean water to those in need, given that people need it and cannot do without it. Without water, the earth and those on it would perish. Water is the origin and artery of life. Therefore, the Life Charity Society attaches great importance to water supply projects, which include drilling surface and artesian wells, water tanks and coolers, providing water tankers and distributing cold water, and other projects inside and outside Kuwait, explaining that this summer, the Life Charity Society contributed to the "Bard Aleihim" project to distribute cold water, juice and ice to workers inside Kuwait in cooperation with the Ghaith Volunteer Team and the Response and Rescue Team.
Al-Barrak indicated that the Life Charity Society implemented, thanks to God and with the support of charitable people, 16 humanitarian projects to support Gaza, benefiting nearly 902 thousand people since the beginning of the crisis, and the society continues its efforts to contribute to alleviating the suffering of the people of Gaza. May God relieve their distress and grant them victory over their enemy.
He called on the charitable people in Kuwait to continue donating to charitable and humanitarian projects and projects to support Gaza through the Life Charity Society website alhyat.org, or by calling the hotline 1844455.- Al-Mujtama
Namaa Charity: 657 students benefited from the "University Student"
Namaa Charity of the Social Reform Society confirmed that the number of beneficiaries of the University Student Project for the second semester of the academic year 2023-2024 AD, in implementation of the conditions of the donors stipulated in the endowment documents to support students and students inside and outside Kuwait for this year from Kuwaitis and residents, amounted to 657 male and female students.
In this regard, the Head of the Communications and Information Technology Sector, Abdulaziz Al-Kandari, said: The University Student Care Service is one of the most prominent services provided by Namaa Charity, in an effort to provide financial assistance to students who are unable to bear the costs of university tuition fees.
Al-Kandari explained that the University Student Care Project represents a model of effective partnership between charitable and governmental institutions in Kuwait, and the project aims to provide support and care to needy students, whether they are Kuwaitis or residents in Kuwait, to continue their university studies, in partnership between the Awqaf Secretariat and Namaa Charity.
Abdulaziz Al-Kandari added that the University Student Sponsorship Project reflects Kuwait's commitment to empowering youth and providing them with educational opportunities through this valuable partnership between Nama Charity and the General Secretariat of Endowments. The project continues to provide support and care to needy students, and contributes to building a more united and prosperous society in Kuwait.
Al-Kandari explained that the "Student Sponsorship" project supports students who are unable to afford tuition fees, to help them obtain tuition fees to obtain a university degree according to specific controls set by the General Secretariat of Endowments.
Al-Kandari continued: Our goal from the "Student Sponsorship" project is to provide appropriate support to all Kuwaiti students and residents in Kuwait who need financial support to pursue their university studies. Through this project, we seek to enable needy students and their families to cover all or part of the costs of education, and we also seek to support and embrace the distinguished among them.
Al-Kandari concluded his statement by saying: By implementing this project, we confirm our commitment to our developmental and humanitarian mission, and we strive to provide a supportive and stimulating environment for Kuwaiti and resident students in their academic career. - Al-Mujtama
"Kuwait Charity" treated 20 children in northern Syria from malnutrition diseases
As part of its humanitarian efforts to support the displaced in northern Syria, the Kuwaiti Charity Society (Hafez) treated 20 children and provided food baskets to the families of the children as part of the malnutrition patients' aid project in northern Syria.
The Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Society, Eng. Ahmed Al-Marshed, said: The malnutrition patients' aid project aims to provide all forms of support and assistance to displaced families in northern Syria whose children suffer from malnutrition diseases, as the project includes providing medical treatment for critical cases and distributing food baskets to improve the nutrition of children and adults who suffer from emaciation or weakness due to lack of access to sufficient food.
Al-Marshed indicated that the Kuwaiti Charity Society treated 20 cases of children as part of the project, and thanks to God and then with the support of charitable people, their malnutrition index improved by measuring the arm circumference from the red mark to the green mark. We ask God for safety and recovery for all.
He added: Our true religion has taken care of the issue of fighting hunger, as food is one of the most important human needs to survive, and hunger and malnutrition pose a threat to human life, especially children. That is why feeding people is encouraged in the verses of the Holy Quran and the hadiths of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, including the words of God Almighty: (And they give food, in spite of their love for it, to the poor, the orphan, and the captive {8} [saying], “We feed you only for the countenance of God. We desire from you no reward, nor thanks.”] (Al-Insan).
The Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “The best among you are those who feed people.” Indeed, the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, made feeding people one of the reasons for entering Paradise, saying: “O people, spread peace, feed people, and pray at night while people are asleep, and you will enter Paradise in peace.”
The United Nations has made the elimination of hunger the second goal of the Sustainable Development Goals to end all forms of hunger and malnutrition by 2030, by ensuring that all people - especially children - have access to sufficient and nutritious food throughout the year.
The guide called on those with white hands to continue their generous support for the malnutrition aid project and all charitable and humanitarian projects of the association by donating from its website hofath.org. – Al-Mujtama
Kuwait, Turkey charities ink $2.105m agreement
Kuwait Relief Society (KRS) on Wednesday signed an executive contract worth $2.105 million with the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) to operate a relief ship to support and provide relief to those affected by natural disasters and armed conflicts in Sudan. Director General of KRS Abdulaziz Al-Obaid told KUNA that the association’s operation of the “Sudan Ship” confirms the depth of Kuwaiti feelings towards the Sudanese people and demonstrates Kuwait’s continued presence, through its official and charitable institutions, in leading the humanitarian work there.
Al-Obaid explained that the relief ship is scheduled to depart from Turkish ports towards Port Sudan in northeastern Sudan at the end of September and will arrive in Sudanese ports by September 15, where it will be unloaded with KRS and then handed over to the Sudanese Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC).
The Director General of the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) and its representative, Durmus Aydin, said in a similar statement to KUNA that the terms of the contract stipulated that the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation would undertake the purchase, supply, preparation, and packaging of goods and humanitarian aid according to the quantities specified in the terms of the contract, provided that they are valid for at least one year, then load them onto the ship at Turkish ports and deliver them to the Sudanese port of Port Sudan.
Aydin added that the Turkish Foundation (IHH) is also committed, according to the terms of the contract, to bear the cost and trouble of carrying out all procedures and obtaining the necessary permits for the entire shipment. He explained that the Foundation is committed to facilitating the tasks of monitoring the company and facilitating the work of media professionals and providing KRS with detailed interim and final media reports for all stages of preparation, loading, and dispatch, as well as its moral commitment to quickly complete the relief shipment.
For his part, the Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan to Kuwait, Awad Al-Karim Al-Rayeh Balla, noted after the signing the solidarity of the official bodies, Kuwaiti charitable societies and organizations, and the Kuwaiti people to assist those affected by the recent events in Sudan and to work diligently to overcome the humanitarian crisis there. Ambassador Al-Rayeh Balla added that the Kuwaiti aid has been providing relief aid like food, medicine, tents, and others.
He expressed his thanks for the humanitarian efforts of the Kuwaiti government and people and the charitable societies and organizations for their efforts that highlight the pioneering humanitarian role of Kuwait. Ambassador of Turkey to Kuwait Tuba Sonmez confirmed that the agreements unify the responsibility and feelings that unite Turkey and Kuwait towards those affected by natural disasters and conflicts in Sudan.
Sonmez added that the coming days will witness more cooperation between the two countries in broader humanitarian horizons, for the good and relief of those affected by disasters and crises everywhere. In turn, the representative of the Kuwait Relief Society, Eng Jamal Al-Nouri, said that the contract comes within the framework of the Kuwaiti government’s support for the current humanitarian conditions in Sudan, given the suffering of displaced families from natural disasters and conflicts that have caused the spread of poverty and homelessness, in addition to diseases and epidemics.
Al-Nouri explained that the society will bear half the cost of preparing the cargo of the Sudan Ship, which includes about 150 containers with a total weight of 2,500 tons of various relief materials, especially food, cleaning materials, and various shelter supplies. He indicated that the society will bear the cost of preparing 75 of these containers, while the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) will bear the cost of preparing the remaining 75 containers.
He pointed out that about 83 containers were allocated for food supplies and parcels, including rice, wheat, lentils, flour, sugar, oil, tomato paste, and other food essentials, while 27 containers were allocated for mattresses, sponges, blankets, shelter supplies, tents, and waterproof plastic bags. The Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) is one of the world’s leading relief organizations that reaches war zones, conflicts, and natural disasters around the world to provide relief materials to victims and oppressed people and provide assistance to the needy and displaced.
It is one of the institutions that Kuwait Relief sought to contract with to operate a number of relief ships to the Gaza Strip and Sudan during the current year. The Kuwait Relief Society was established on April 30, 2008, and was registered by the Ministry of Social Affairs in 2012. It is a charitable relief organization based in Kuwait that works to provide relief to areas affected by conflicts or natural disasters in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and many countries around the world. — KUNA
KRCS supports reconstruction of Dialysis Center in northern Gaza
Five out of seven dialysis centers destroyed by Israel
Noura Al-Kaabi Dialysis Center in northern Gaza commenced Wednesday a reconstruction project with the support of the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS). The Center completely stopped operation after it was destroyed by Zionist occupation, Center Director Dr Marwan Al-Sultan stated, adding that re-operation is imperative to save the lives of thousands of kidney failure patients in the Gaza Strip.
More than 180 patients in the strip suffer from kidney failure and are in need of dialysis three times a week, not to mention more than 1,000 patients with kidney failure in the entirety of the strip, he explained. According to Palestinian health authorities, patients with kidney failure in the Gaza Strip are suffering from dire circumstances due to the destruction of five out of seven dialysis centers.
Noura Al-Kaabi Kidney Dialysis Center management announced Sunday that the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) is supporting the project to rehabilitate, maintain, and equip the Center. The center, which has been rehabilitated, is located on an area of about 700 square meters and consists of three floors. It operates with a capacity of about 42 dialysis machines, including about 36 chairs and a dialysis machine.
Dr Al-Sultan stressed the need to re-operate the center, which stopped working completely after being subjected to aggression and storming by the occupation forces, indicating the importance of its role in saving the lives of thousands of kidney patients in the Gaza Strip. He expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation to Kuwait, HH the Amir, the government, and its people for supporting Gazans and alleviating their suffering, praising the role of the Kuwait Red Crescent in providing humanitarian aid.
Since the beginning of the aggression on the Gaza Strip last October, Kuwait has taken the initiative to send thousands of tons of relief, humanitarian, and medical aid to the Strip, while the Kuwaiti Relief Air Bridge is still ongoing. The Kuwait Red Crescent Society has also taken the initiative to implement qualitative relief projects in the Strip, including sending dozens of ambulances and establishing a field hospital to treat the wounded. — KUNA
Education Ministry integrates modern technology
The Ministry of Education affirmed on Wednesday its keenness to integrate modern technology in line with the rapid digital developments and investment in the future of education, opening new doors to enhance students’ digital skills. The Ministry stated on its official account on the social networking platform (X) that as part of its preparations for the new academic year 2024-2025, 5,125 interactive screens have been introduced in various educational stages to provide a more attractive and interactive educational environment that enhances innovation and creativity among teachers and learners.
It explained that 294 screens have been introduced in computer labs for the elementary stage, 472 in computer labs for the intermediate stage, and 4,359 in computer labs and classrooms for the secondary stage. It indicated that the introduction of interactive screens aims to stimulate interaction and activity in the classroom, in addition to improving the clarity of educational materials and encouraging teamwork and cooperation, in addition to providing diverse educational resources, enhancing technology skills, sharing educational materials, and supporting distance education. — KUNA
Kuwait’s 8th aid-loaded plane departs to Sudan
Kuwait’s eighth relief aid plane departed for Sudan on Wednesday carrying on board 33 tons of food, medicine, and tents, organized by the Kuwaiti Relief Society and Sheikh Abdullah Nouri Charity, to help those affected by war and floods. In remarks to KUNA, the General Director of Kuwait Relief Society, Abdulaziz Al-Obaid, said that this aid plane is part of the Kuwaiti air bridge to help Sudan in cooperation with member associations of Kuwait Relief Society’s Board of Directors, including the Kuwait Charity, Revival of Islamic Heritage, Nama Charity, Al-Najat Charity, Abdullah Al-Nouri, Direct Aid, and others.
This flight includes 33 tons of urgent and critical needs for those affected, as it consists of 30 tons of food supplies, 3 tons of medical supplies to meet the basic health needs of the displaced, as well as 99 tents for sheltering the displaced, Al-Obaid added. He emphasized the dismal situation in Sudan due to the ongoing internal conflicts, widespread displacement, and lack of security and stability, which led to an increased demand for humanitarian needs such as food, medicine, and tents due to the floods and torrents that struck northern Sudan.
The General Director of the Al-Nouri Charity, Waleed Al-Saif, told KUNA that the continued flights through Kuwaiti Air Bridge alongside the maritime ships for aiding Sudanese would help increase the chances of survival for the affected ones. Al-Saif expressed his gratitude for dispatching relief aid via Kuwaiti Air Bridge, as he praised the efforts of the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Social Affairs, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their role in this humanitarian work. — KUNA
KRCS distributes 2,200 school bags to children
KUWAIT: The Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) on Wednesday started distributing school bags with complete school materials to children of needy families who registered with the society to start their educational journey. KRSC’s Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, Anwar Al-Hasawi, told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the school bag project aims to distribute approximately 2,200 school bags, expressing his deep thanks to the banks and companies that supported the project.
The school bags, stationery, pens, and tools will help the students in their academic activities. He stated that the success of the educational process undoubtedly depends on providing the basic needs required by the students. He stressed the association’s keenness on this initiative at the beginning of each academic year, believing that education is one of the most important rights that must be provided to children of needy families. – KUNA
KRS and ASPN to rehabilitate Gaza’s agricultural sector
The Kuwait Relief Society (KRS) on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Jordanian Arab Society for the Protection of Nature (ASPN) to implement projects aimed at rehabilitating the agricultural sector in the Gaza Strip, with support from the Kuwaiti Direct Aid Society (DAS). Director General of the Kuwait Relief Society Abdulaziz Al-Obaid told KUNA that the MoU comes within the framework of the Gaza Strip farms revival project launched by the Jordanian Society for the Protection of Nature (SPSN) in March.
Al-Obaid added that the project aims to provide support to Palestinian farmers after the Zionist occupation systematically targeted agricultural facilities and destroyed vegetable farms, depriving the residents from benefiting from the agricultural products. For his part, Director General of the Direct Aid Society Dr Abdullah Al-Sumait told KUNA that the goal of this one-year project is to contribute to supplying agricultural products, fodder seeds, various vegetable seedlings, fertilizers, pesticides, and extending irrigation networks, greenhouse covers, and agricultural ponds in the Gaza Strip.
The Arab Society for the Protection of Nature in Jordan is an independent, non-profit civil society organization based in the Jordanian capital, Amman. It is concerned with protecting natural resources in light of the increasing challenges and dangers they face, especially those to which they are exposed as a result of conflicts, wars, and occupation. The Society for the Protection of Nature aims to rehabilitate and sustain environmental, agricultural, and food systems in Arab regions that are affected by wars and conflicts in coordination with all Arab and international bodies and organizations. — KUNA
