Kuwait Society for Relief is one of the most prominent humanitarian associations in Kuwait, currently active in the field of urgent relief and rapid intervention in cases of disasters and crises in several communities and countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.
Since its inception under the name “Kuwaiti Joint Relief Committee” due to the devastating floods that swept through Bangladesh and Sudan at the end of 1987, the Kuwait Relief Society has acted as an umbrella to coordinate Kuwaiti charitable and humanitarian efforts. It includes in its membership more than 17 charitable societies, government bodies, and Kuwaiti social institutions.
From its first day, the Kuwait Relief Society has sought, and continues to seek, to deliver basic humanitarian needs—primarily food, medicine, and shelter—to communities affected by disasters, wars, and crises. Additionally, it consistently supports educational, health, social, and developmental projects and programs that match the needs of impoverished communities and the circumstances they face.
Over more than three decades, through supervising humanitarian efforts, outside Kuwait, and joint Kuwaiti relief campaigns among charitable Kuwaiti societies and social institutions, the Kuwait Relief Society has created an honorable and rich history of humanitarian contributions that have extended to more than 30 countries worldwide. This has made it a key component of Kuwait's soft power and a foundation upon which Kuwait has built its leading global position in humanitarian work. This status was recognized in 2014 when the United Nations designated Kuwait as a “Humanitarian Center” and named its late Emir, may Allah have mercy on him, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, “Leader of Humanitarian Work.”
When addressing the relief efforts of the Kuwait Relief Society, one must highlight its work concerning the world's most pressing humanitarian issue today, alongside the civil war in Sudan: the Palestinian cause. The Society has exemplified the commitment of relief institutions to their work and their humanitarian duties as they should be performed. Following the onset of the aggression on Gaza, it launched a popular campaign, “Help for Palestine,” to collect donations to support the resilience of the people of Palestine. This was followed by the “Gaza Ship” campaign, a second popular campaign to send relief ships carrying hundreds of tons of essential and urgent supplies to those affected by the Zionist aggression in Gaza.
In March and April 2024, the Kuwait Relief Society sent two medical relief teams on two missions to Gaza, carrying dozens of tons of medical supplies needed for emergency surgeries for the injured and sick in the Strip. During these missions, the medical team members and relief workers conducted hundreds of surgeries, opened field medical points, and distributed hundreds of tons of food in cooperation with local charitable organizations in Gaza.
Additionally, it launched two campaigns: one to support the resilience of Gaza and another to support the collapsing health situation in the Strip's hospitals. Subsequently, numerous humanitarian projects and campaigns followed to send land convoys, sea ships, and air bridges filled with essential and urgent supplies to the residents of Gaza. Through these efforts, the Society provided hundreds of tons of essential relief materials, particularly food, medical supplies, and shelter needs.
In Sudan, since mid-2023, the Society launched a relief effort that continues to this day. This effort includes sending a massive relief ship carrying 2,500 tons of food, hygiene materials, and shelter supplies from the Turkish port of Mersin to Port Sudan. Before this, as part of the relief effort for Sudan, the Kuwait Relief Society contributed multiple air trips as part of the Kuwaiti air bridge dedicated to supporting and relieving Sudanese affected by conflicts, rains, and floods.
Beyond Gaza and Sudan, in the past year and the preceding few years, the Kuwait Relief Society has intervened in every disaster and crisis in the region. It participated in and supervised relief efforts for Morocco and Libya. At the beginning of 2023, it launched a relief campaign to support those affected by the earthquake in northern Syria and southern Turkey, a campaign to support the economic and social situation in Lebanon, another campaign to support flood victims in Pakistan, and another to support the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. The year before, in 2021, it launched a campaign for “Al-Aqsa” to support those affected by Zionist attacks on Jerusalem, Gaza, and some Palestinian cities.
Over the past ten years, through its partners in joint Kuwaiti humanitarian work, civil institutions, government bodies, and private companies in Kuwait, the Kuwait Relief Society has made significant efforts in executing relief campaigns and social, educational, developmental, and health projects. These efforts have improved living conditions, contributed to better quality of life, and rebuilt infrastructure in several countries, including Iraq, Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon.
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