Kuwait distributes humanitarian aid, provided by charities, to Iraqi families in Mosul city. - KUNA

KUWAIT: Living up to its UN recognition as 'International Humanitarian Center', Kuwait continued assisting needy people in a number of countries in the region throughout the week. In Irbil, Kuwait distributed humanitarian aid, provided by charities, to families returned their homes and needy people. This is done by Kuwait's Consulate General in Irbil in collaboration with Barzani Charity Foundation. In a statement to KUNA, Kuwait's consul to Irbil Omar Al-Kandari said the aid is provided to the Iraqi families, which retuned to Mosul city, as well as to the poor and needy people in the province.

He added that the aid comes after conducting a field survey in collaboration with local humanitarian organizations to specify those who deserve assistance in order to alleviate their suffering. Kuwait has spared no efforts in aiding all segments of Iraqi people, he said, indicating that 600 food baskets were distributed to needy families in northern Irbil. Kuwait's aid is offered to the Iraqi people in line with His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah's humanitarian initiative aiming to mitigate the suffering of the Iraqis, he said. The aid comes also within the framework of the "Kuwait by your side" campaign, the consul made clear.

For his part, Razkar Obaid, head of Barzani Charity Foundation's office in Mosul said in a similar statement that 750 food baskets were given to the families returned to some areas in Mosul. He referred that such families are in bad need of aid as areas where they live are very poor. Since the beginning of 2018, Kuwait, in collaboration with Barzani foundation, has delivered eight convoys of aid to Mosul that covered more than 7000 families, he elaborated.

Trio of mobile clinics

In Baghdad, Kuwait has provided the Iraqi government with a trio of mobile clinics in the latest chapter of an aid campaign the country has set in motion for its Gulf neighbor. The clinics were unveiled in a lavish ceremony hosted by Kuwait's embassy in Baghdad on Monday, with Kuwaiti ambassador Salem Al-Zamanan and Iraq's chief lawmaker Salim Al-Jabbouri in attendance.

"We look forward to a brighter and more prosperous future for Iraq," the Kuwaiti envoy said, citing a recent conference his country hosted over reconstruction in the war-torn nation. Meanwhile, Al-Jabbouri expressed his gratitude for Kuwait's support at a time where Baghdad seeks to emerge from the shadow of war, saying that "such acts of altruism have become synonymous with the Kuwaiti people."

On the Kuwaiti campaign, Iraq's top lawmaker described it as a "gracious initiative that reflects an earnest desire for an improvement in bilateral ties." The chairman of the United Iraqi Medical Society Ahmad Al-Haiti pointed out that these fully-equipped mobile clinics have been designed to grant the Iraqi people access to basic healthcare. He added that physicians now have a wide array of equipment at their disposal, which will come in handy in dealing with critical cases as well as carrying out various medical procedures.

Free eye surgery camp

Copious amounts of Kuwaiti aid have poured into Iraq in recent years, running the gamut from food and healthcare to educational assistance. In Riyadh, Al-Rahma international charity launched a free eye surgery camp in Yemen's Aden to perform operations on the Yemeni patients. The "Kuwait by your side" campaign said in a press statement the surgical camp supported by Kuwait was inaugurated in the presence of some Yemeni officials.  The camp will receive patients, conduct free medical checkups and operations on them, and offer treatment, the statement added.

Kuwait, through its charities, has been working to assist the Yemeni people in all governorates in the areas of education, health, shelter, food and water.  In Ramallah, head of Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) Mazen Ghunaim underlined Kuwait's prominent role in financing execution of a water treatment plant project in Gaza Strip. He added at a news conference held in Ramallah that PWA will commence executing the project during the few coming months. He thanked donor counties, which greatly contributed to securing the needed funds for the largest water venture in Gaza that. Kuwait donated $60 million.

Palestine was granted $565 during the International Donor Group for Palestine held in March 20 at the European Union (EU) headquarters in Brussels, which makes 80 percent of the total value of the project, he affirmed.  He described the situation in Gaza as "catastrophic", as the Strip is facing an environmental crisis, noting that 97 of the water is unfit for human consumption. The water treatment project central center will provide 55 million cubic meter annually in its first phase until year 2021, while the plant will be expanded in the future in its second phase to be capable of producing 110 million cubic meters on an annual basis, he said.

PWA offered all the needed measure to start the project at the technical and administrative levels, he added. The venture could be operating in five years if it does not encounter any Israeli hampering, he said. It comes as a strategic solution and sustainable water service provider. It also helps in halting drain in the underground reservoir, and stopping deterioration of seawaters, as well as offering thousands of job opportunities.

The date of commencing the project will be decided during a meeting of the venture partners, to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, by the end of next month, PWA said.  "Kuwait is committed to pay $200 million for reconstruction of the Strip through various projects", said Director of Operations Department of Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development Marwan Al-Ghanem. The Kuwaiti donation of $60 million will be offered to finance the water plant project as well as supporting health and education issues, he added. - KUNA