UNIPATH STAFF
Kuwait is continuing its tradition of philanthropy by providing aid to victims of war and natural disasters in Syria and Sudan.
Food, medical provisions and building supplies were flown to Sudan in the summer of 2013 as part of the air bridge and relief campaign ordered by Deputy Amir Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to assist recent flood victims. The massive flooding was deemed the worst in Sudan in the past 25 years, affecting about a half million people and killing about 50. Water destroyed and damaged infrastructure such as roads, schools, medical clinics and sanitation facilities.
“As part of the Army’s commitment to lending a hand when needed and lending support for all humane causes, this campaign also comes in harmony with other relief efforts and support to the flood victims by both state bodies and the private sector, as well as civil society institutions,” Abdullah Al-Mubarak, the Army’s air base head of Operations Group Captain Bandar Salem Al-Mzayyan, told the media.
Lt. Gen. Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah, deputy prime minister and minister of defense, oversaw the air bridge operations. Two missions with 10 airplanes each delivered $2.5 million of aid to Sudan.
Syria has also benefited from Kuwaiti generosity. The Kuwaiti government hosted the International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria in early 2013 with the goal of raising money to aid and assist refugees and Syrians displaced by the civil war. Diplomats from 59 countries attended.
Sources: Kuwait News Agency, Arab Times, The Guardian