From Cambodia to the Amazon and India: Kuwaiti Charity Expands Its Humanitarian Presence
Kuwaiti humanitarian work is expanding its presence abroad through projects and initiatives that go beyond providing emergency aid to establishing more sustainable projects aimed at improving the lives of beneficiary communities in the fields of education, care, water, health, and development. These efforts are distributed across various regions of the world, from Southeast Asia to the Amazon rainforests, reaching the villages in India most in need of water. This reflects the diversity of Kuwaiti charitable work and the commitment of its institutions to reach out to groups facing difficult living conditions, transforming the contributions of benefactors into projects with long-term impact.
In the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Ata’a Humanitarian Association opened the Ata’a Islamic Center as part of an integrated educational and humanitarian project benefiting approximately 100 students. The center includes an orphanage, eight classrooms, and a mosque, providing a comprehensive environment that combines accommodation, care, and education.
Dr. Badr Al-Hattiyah, a member of the board of directors of the Ata’a Humanitarian Association, stated that the center includes an orphanage providing comprehensive accommodation for orphans, alongside eight classrooms where students study the government-approved curriculum in Cambodia, as well as the Sharia curriculum, Arabic language, and the Holy Quran. He added that a mosque serves the students and beneficiaries of the center.
Al-Hattiyah explained that the project is an extension of the association’s interest in educational projects that achieve sustainable impact on the lives of children, especially orphans. He noted that providing care, education, and training in a single environment gives students a better opportunity to continue their educational journey and build their future. He emphasized that the center’s role is not limited to academic education; rather, it offers an integrated system combining formal education with religious upbringing and Sharia education, contributing to building the student’s personality scientifically and morally, and providing them with the necessary tools to continue their education and achieve their aspirations.
He pointed out the association’s commitment to monitoring its projects, documenting their implementation stages, and measuring their impact, alongside strengthening trust with donors as partners in humanitarian work. He confirmed the continued expansion of educational and humanitarian projects with sustainable impact.
Reaching the Depths of the Amazon
In another extension of Kuwaiti humanitarian efforts, the Kuwait Association for Humanitarian Work reached several villages and indigenous communities deep within the Amazon rainforests of the Republic of Ecuador, providing basic assistance while simultaneously assessing the needs of these areas for health, educational, and developmental services.
Khaled Al-Kandari, Secretary-General of the Association, stated that the association places special importance on reaching remote areas and groups that are difficult to access, driven by its commitment to delivering the contributions of Kuwaiti benefactors to their rightful recipients wherever they are.
He clarified that the association’s efforts in Ecuador included distributing food supplies, solar-powered lanterns, and school tools and supplies to several villages and indigenous communities deep in the Amazon, following field assessments of the residents' conditions and needs.
Al-Kandari added that the association discussed with local authorities the needs of these areas for basic services, particularly clinics, medical centers, and schools, paving the way for a transition from direct aid to long-term, more sustainable developmental projects.
He noted that the association is also studying several projects serving Muslims and new Muslims, including the establishment of centers providing places for worship and education. He affirmed that Kuwaiti humanitarian work aims to reach individuals, understand their needs, and select projects that have the greatest impact on their lives.
10 Wells in India
In India, Namaa Charity, affiliated with the Al-Isalah Social Association, continued implementing its water projects as part of the “Kheer Yuroohim” (Goodness Quenches Them) campaign, by opening 10 semi-artesian wells benefiting approximately 3,500 people. This step aims to provide sustainable sources of safe drinking water in the most needy communities.
Khaled Al-Shamari, Head of the Programs and Initiatives Sector at Namaa Charity, stated that the opening of the wells translates the campaign’s objectives, which aim to transform benefactors’ contributions into sustainable developmental projects meeting one of the most fundamental human needs.
He explained that the project provided water to approximately 3,500 beneficiaries, noting that providing a safe and sustainable water source alleviates families’ struggle to find water and directly contributes to supporting health, stability, and improving living conditions in beneficiary communities.
Al-Shamari emphasized Namaa Charity’s commitment to expanding water provision projects and selecting well locations based on community needs, ensuring maximum impact and continued benefit from the projects over long periods.
He clarified that each well represents an extended impact of benefactors’ contributions, calling on donors to continue supporting water projects that combine meeting direct human needs with achieving sustainable developmental impact on the lives of families and communities.
These projects highlight the broad scope, diverse fields, and capacity of Kuwaiti humanitarian work to reach communities that are geographically and culturally different, focusing on human needs and transforming assistance into opportunities for education, health improvement, water provision, and support for stability and development.
These initiatives also reflect a growing trend among Kuwaiti charitable institutions toward sustainable projects whose impact does not end with the provision of aid, but whose results extend to the lives of beneficiaries for longer periods, thereby enhancing Kuwait’s presence in the field of humanitarian work at the international level.
