KUWAIT: Kuwaiti charities continued their relief work a week after the devastating earthquake that killed thousands of people and destroyed buildings and facilities in Syria and Turkey. The Executive Director of Namaa Charity, Saad Al-Otaibi said in a telephone call with KUNA Monday from the Turkish region of Antioch, that Namaa is has been providing aid since day one, with mobile clinics having received more than 4,000 patients so far.

The group was also able to provide 56 cartons of medicines to help medics stationed there. Otaibi added that the bakeries of Namaa Charity distribute on a daily basis more than 7,500 bread bundles, 1,500 meals, 2,500 food baskets, in addition to distributing basic needs, including 37 tents to shelter the displaced, 700 blankets, 700 mattresses and 8,000 water bottles. Otaibi noted that there is a team consisting of 40 people equipped with relief supplies, aiming to participate in search and rescue efforts in Syria and Turkey. He said the situation in the two countries is one of the "tragedies of the current century".

Abdullah Al-Shahab, head of programs and projects at Al-Najat Charity, said more than 2,500 families affected by the earthquake, or about 10,000 people, have benefited from the field aid and relief materials provided by the charity. Shahab said the association's great response is due to the availability of rapid transportation and the presence of Al-Najat Charity relief workers who are ready to deal with crises and humanitarian disasters.

The charity has also opened a medical clinic that provides first aid for the sick, the wounded, the injured, the elderly and children. A pharmacy offering medicine and a central kitchen distributing hundreds of hot meals daily have also been set up. Al-Najat has also given out food baskets and heating supplies to families since the first day of the disaster.

Walid Al-Suwailem, head of the Turkey and Levant office at the Mercy International Association, said that the association has provided urgent relief to those affected by the earthquake since the first moments of its occurrence, specifically in the governorates of northern Syria. Suwailem said the association has been preparing a shelter for the displaced in those areas, which includes 500 tents equipped with food, such as: bread, warm meals, canned food, and water bottles, in addition to heating supplies. - KUNA