Women and Voluntary Work... A National Heritage with Roots in 'Shai Al-Duha'

- Al-Ahmad: The roots of volunteerism trace back to the nature of our society, which is built on “Fazaa and Nakha” (mutual aid and chivalry).

- Lulwah Al-Qatami: The future of women’s volunteerism depends on new generations continuing to shoulder responsibility.

- Subika Al-Jasser: Women’s contributions have extended to establishing initiatives, leading charitable institutions, and developing services.

In the past, the scents of cardamom, saffron, and incense were not the only things rising in the spaces of Kuwaiti women’s “morning tea” gatherings and diwaniyas. These simple gatherings harbored, alongside daily conversations, a spirit of solidarity that began to quietly take shape, sprouting from the details of ordinary life the first seeds of women’s volunteerism.

From these small social circles, Kuwaiti women stepped into a broader sphere of giving. They began by supporting those in need within their immediate vicinity, and as crises and hardships succeeded one another, they found themselves at the forefront, extending a helping hand and participating in facing difficulties. Over time, this giving ceased to be merely individual initiatives driven by instinct and a spirit of rescue, evolving instead into a firmly established legacy and a sustainable national path. Kuwaiti women became active partners and cornerstones in leading charitable, developmental, and relief work.

Thus began a long story of selflessness, in which women transitioned from rescuing those around them to contributing to the construction of a volunteer system that left its mark on society and solidified their presence in Kuwait’s humanitarian journey. The extended history of women’s giving demonstrates their success in transforming volunteerism from a humanitarian response during times of hardship into a sustainable legacy and an inspiring model for initiative and leadership in humanitarian work.

In this context, Sheikh Amal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, President of the Volunteer Work Center, emphasized the historical role of Kuwaiti women in volunteerism. She noted that the roots of volunteerism in Kuwait go back to the nature of Kuwaiti society, which is based on “Fazaa and Nakha” and the solidarity among its members, forming the basis for women’s participation in community service since the early stages of the country’s history.

Sheikh Amal told KUNA that “one of the most prominent examples of women’s participation in the past was their role in building the Third Wall. While men would go out during the month of Ramadan to participate in building the wall before the time of Iftar, women were responsible for preparing Iftar and Suhoor, providing water, and delivering it to the men participating in the construction.” She considered this “an early model of volunteerism and community cooperation in which everyone participated according to their ability.”

She noted that “women have contributed since ancient times to charitable and volunteer work, including donating to build schools, mosques, and Quranic schools.” In this context, she recalled the late Subika Al-Khaled, who donated her house to expand the Mubarakiya School when its founders, around 1911, needed additional space to expand the building. She promptly donated a house she owned adjacent to the school.

She added that “another historical example is Shaha Al-Hamad Al-Saqer, who donated Badkan to serve as the headquarters for the National Library, as well as donating to support the Palestinian cause.” She considered these initiatives to reflect Kuwaiti women’s contributions in the fields of education, charity, and serving humanitarian causes.

She also recalled the incident of the first Kuwaiti women’s mission that traveled to Egypt in 1956, noting that its timing coincided with the outbreak of the Tripartite Aggression on Egypt. Members of the mission volunteered in Egyptian hospitals to help treat the wounded and injured, emphasizing that the spirit of “Kuwaiti Fazaa” was not confined within the country but extended beyond it.

Sheikh Amthal praised the role of Maryam Abdulmalik Al-Saleh, may God have mercy on her, who is considered the first female teacher in Kuwaiti history, alongside Lulwa Al-Qatami, who studied abroad and returned to Kuwait to contribute to the development of education, serving as head of the Women’s College at Kuwait University.

For her part, Lulwa Al-Qatami, Honorary President of the Cultural and Social Women’s Association, stated in a similar comment to KUNA that “women played an early and active role in social and charitable work,” noting that her personal experience began during her university studies in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she joined the student union and through it became acquainted with social work and serving underprivileged groups.

Al-Qatami said that upon her return to Kuwait in the 1960s, she worked as a teacher of English and French at Al-Mirqab Secondary School, where she met Fadhah Al-Khalid and discussed the importance of social work and establishing a women’s association in Kuwait. She recalled that “the statutes of the Cultural and Social Women’s Association, founded in 1963, stipulated that members must be Kuwaiti and literate,” adding that the high demand for membership revealed the high illiteracy rate among women at the time, prompting the association to launch its first project: teaching women to read and write.

Al-Qatami spoke about the association’s shift toward volunteer work outside Kuwait, explaining that “the association focused on Arab children’s issues, driven by its belief that caring for needy children outside Kuwait represents an extension of the Kuwaiti woman’s role in humanitarian work.”

She noted that women’s volunteer work in Kuwait has gone through several stages, emphasizing that its future depends on new generations continuing to shoulder this responsibility and develop it in line with current societal needs.

For her part, Sabika Al-Jasir, President of the Kuwait Association for the Care of the Disabled, told KUNA that “women have played an authentic and enduring role in the trajectory of volunteer and charitable work in the State of Kuwait. Their contribution has not been limited to supporting community efforts, but has extended to founding initiatives, leading public benefit institutions, and contributing to the development of services and programs targeting the most vulnerable groups.”

Al-Jasir said that “women have demonstrated a significant presence in education, healthcare, social services, care for persons with disabilities, support for children and families, waqf and charitable work, as well as in founding public benefit associations and specialized centers, managing humanitarian programs, training national cadres, and building effective partnerships with state institutions and the private sector.”

She explained that her volunteer experience began in 1984 when she joined the Kuwait Association for the Care of the Disabled, focusing efforts on developing services for persons with disabilities and transitioning from traditional care concepts to a more comprehensive system based on education, rehabilitation, empowerment, and independence, through the development of curricula and educational programs, enhancing the capabilities of teachers and specialists, and utilizing specialized practices in the field.

Kuwaiti women now constitute approximately 74.5 percent of workers in the country’s humanitarian sector, hold nearly 26 percent of positions as heads of charitable associations, and occupy 25 percent of seats on their boards of directors, reflecting a significant presence and a distinctive leadership footprint in the local and international humanitarian landscape.

Since the founding of Kuwait, women have left an indelible mark on various voluntary initiatives, ranging from donating funds to build mosques, Quranic schools, and charitable endowments, as well as contributing furniture and bequests, and establishing Quranic centers, to organizing women’s Hajj campaigns, volunteering for medical treatment, and promoting culture and science, ultimately leading to the construction of health centers and hospitals.

The number of Kuwaiti women who volunteered to establish and manage traditional Quranic schools in the past exceeded 80, while women’s contributions to charitable endowments amounted to approximately 224 out of a total of 440 endowments.