KUWAIT: Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) dispatched 12 aid trucks loaded with medical supplies to Turkey and North Syria following the earthquake which left thousands dead and many more injured. The convoy - loaded with blankets, tents, and electrical appliances - is one of many initiatives taken by the Kuwaiti government and people to help those affected in some of the worst-hit areas by the quake, KRCS General Secretary Maha Al-Barjas said in a press statement.

She added that Kuwait stands heart and soul with Turkey and Syria and that it will not hold back on helping as needed. KRCS volunteers will supervise the distribution of aid in cooperation with the Turkish Red Crescent, said Barjas. Barjas stressed the importance of the international organizations in responding to the disaster in Turkey and Syria, pointing to KRCS’ keenness on increasing its efforts to provide support.

She said she was thankful for the continuous partnership between KRCS and its Turkish counterpart in providing relief and humanitarian aid, praising the efforts of Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Kuwait Embassy in Ankara in facilitating the tasks of the Kuwaiti mission and supervising the distribution process.

Kuwait is also working to meet the needs of impoverished Jordanian families as well as Palestinian and Syrian refugees in Jordan. On Wednesday, Kuwait's Mercy International, part of the Association of Social Reform, kick-started an aid campaign worth $210,000 for that purpose.

Head of the Mercy International delegation Abdullah Al-Ajmi told KUNA that the campaign provided food baskets and necessities to the needy for a period of three weeks. The money for the campaign would also fund medical procedures and treatment expenses, he added. Al-Ajmi affirmed that Mercy International was eager to provide assistance to those in need in line with the Kuwaiti leadership's guidelines. - KUNA