Charities in Kuwait have launched a humanitarian initiative aimed at alleviating the consequences of the recent floods that have hit Pakistan. Ibrahim Al-Saleh, Chairman of the Kuwait Society for Relief, said that it was the difficult conditions experienced by Pakistan over the floods and the massive displacement operations, which led to the launch of the humanitarian campaign.
“The coordinated efforts of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Community Development, together with the collaborative work from 27 Kuwaiti charitable societies, accelerated the pace of the initiative to provide for the needs of the affected people.” Al-Saleh added that the campaign is a continuation of Kuwait’s global humanitarian role in providing relief to those impacted by disasters around the world.
Meanwhile, Hamad Al-Mashaan, Assistant Foreign Minister for Development and International Cooperation said that the launch of the campaign and the task of delivering aid to Pakistan was initiated by the Cabinet and assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He underscored that the Kuwaiti response to the crisis was a reflection of the close historical ties between Kuwait and Pakistan.
The campaign which will be held for a period of three days aims to provide medicine, food and shelter for thousands of affected people, as well as provide urgent relief in terms of medical equipment, first aid, clothes, blankets, tents and other basic needs. The initiative which also allows electronic donations through K-Net, Visa or Mastercard encourages the contribution by people from outside Kuwait as well.
More than 6,300 nationals and residents contributed to the initiative within the first hour which amounted to about KD 148,000. Pakistan is witnessing one of its worst humanitarian disasters in recent years and requires urgent access to medical aid, food, water, shelter. According to official statistics, approximately 33 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance in affected areas in the country.
Meanwhile, Musallam Al-Subaie, Acting Undersecretary of the social affairs and development ministry, said during the anniversary of the International Day of Charity that “humanitarian work is an inseparable part of Kuwait’s identity.”
“The Ministry of Social Affairs encourages charitable work by volunteers and humanitarian organizations in the country to improve humanitarian work in the world and Kuwait has always been at the forefront to minimize the struggles of people in need.”
Kuwait times
