RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s international aid agency is helping pave the way for millions of people in need around the world to overcome adversity and get back on the road to leading a normal life.
Be it open-heart surgery on a child, dialysis for a widow with kidney failure, physiotherapy sessions, or prosthetic limbs for landmine victims, KSrelief has been there to assist.
And on Aug. 19, the organization will be celebrating World Humanitarian Day, being held under the title No Matter What. This year’s theme aims to highlight the challenges facing humanity and the global commitment to overcoming them.
KSrelief has established a leading role in providing humanitarian aid and assistance in many areas affected by natural disasters, war, and conflict. In less than a decade, the agency has operated humanitarian and development projects in more than 92 countries, assisting millions of people in the process.
Samer Aljetaily, spokesperson for KSrelief, said: “KSrelief has placed the Kingdom among the top countries in terms of financing humanitarian aid, with the nation currently ranking third worldwide.”
Among recent initiatives, the agency has supported an artificial limbs center in Taiz, Yemen, launched a volunteer medical program for urology procedures in Nigeria, funded ambulances in Lebanon, and sent its sixth relief sealift ship to support the people of Sudan.
According to the center’s own statistics, it has undertaken 2,404 projects, some completed and others still in progress, covering food security, health, camp coordination, water, protection, sanitation and hygiene, education, logistics, emergency telecommunication, humanitarian matters, and emergency relief coordination.
One initiative, a rehabilitation program for child soldiers, has helped more than 61,000 young people reintegrate into society by identifying their medical needs, providing psychiatric rehabilitation, schooling, community involvement, and progress follow-up sessions.
In carrying out its vital work, KSrelief has partnered with 176 humanitarian organizations, including the formerly named British Department for International Development, the International Committee of the Red Cross, International Medical Corps UK, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Refugee Agency, and the UN Children’s Fund.
“KSrelief keeps watch over the challenges of tomorrow facing humanitarian action today while addressing today’s needs,” Aljetaily added.
As part of its work, KSrelief in partnership with the UN, organizes the Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum, held every two years. February’s meeting concluded with recommendations on minimizing funding gaps in humanitarian aid and employing science and innovation for rapid response and coordination.
Aljetaily noted that the Saudi Vision 2030 reform plan provided a guiding light in helping set the agency’s goals of improving the lives of the world’s most vulnerable people.
