Stories of Light: Kuwaiti Giving Restores Hope in Gaza and Brings Life to Turkey and Yemen

From providing water to displaced persons and performing surgeries for patients to ensuring bread supplies and enabling economic empowerment, the State of Kuwait is unraveling the complexities of humanitarian crises through a comprehensive vision under the umbrella of the "Kuwait is by Your Side" campaign. Guided by high directives, this initiative aims to consolidate Kuwait’s position as an international hub for creating sustainable humanitarian impact.

This operational synergy in Kuwait’s humanitarian strategy has successfully crafted an innovative relief model that transcends geographical borders. It operates flexibly according to the nature of needs, transforming aid from a response to temporary circumstances into a tool for restoring stability and building the future.

In this context, the Islamic World Charity Organization (IWCO) launched the "Water Supply" project to provide safe and potable drinking water to displaced and affected families in shelters as part of its humanitarian response to basic needs in the Gaza Strip. IWCO Managing Director, Engineer Badr Al-Samit, told the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the project will run for two months, providing approximately five million liters of drinking water to benefit over 115,000 displaced and affected families, at a total cost exceeding 59,000 Kuwaiti dinars.

Al-Samit explained that the project addresses the acute water crisis caused by damaged infrastructure and the disruption of safe water sources. Water is supplied from approved desalination plants to shelters, helping to mitigate health risks and improve living conditions for displaced persons. He noted that since October 7, 2023, the organization has allocated over $23 million to support more than 8.4 million beneficiaries in Gaza through approximately 143 projects in relief, health, education, and development sectors, with 26 additional projects currently being implemented.

Al-Samit added that the organization’s interventions have included providing food, water, shelter, and healthcare, alongside education and empowerment initiatives. He emphasized the continued direction of support toward the most urgent needs and assistance for affected and displaced Palestinian families.

In another humanitarian effort that restored hope for patients to overcome pain, Al-Safa Humanitarian Charity Association concluded its two missions, "With Your Gifts We Save Them 25" and "Your Gift is Healing 4," after two weeks of medical and relief work in several Turkish cities, with the participation of a distinguished group of Kuwaiti doctors and consultants.

Al-Safa Board Chairman, Mohammed Al-Shaie, told KUNA that the Kuwaiti medical team performed nearly 300 surgeries for patients in need, covering general surgery, urology, ENT, and pediatric surgery, in addition to examinations, consultations, and therapeutic services.

Al-Shaie clarified that the team worked in two shifts between September 1 and 14, ensuring the continuity of the surgical program over two weeks and allowing more patients to receive treatment and regain hope for a more stable life. He noted that one day of the mission saw 29 surgeries performed across various specialties, a day marked by the human stories of patients who had waited a long time for treatment.

He added that the humanitarian impact of medical projects extends beyond treating the patient to their families, enabling them to return to movement, work, and normal life. He affirmed that the association strives to convert donors' contributions into direct and sustainable impacts on beneficiaries' lives.

Al-Shaie pointed out that the "With Your Gifts We Save Them 25" mission also included sponsoring families, widows, and orphans, and distributing food baskets, clothing, bags, and school supplies, alongside economic empowerment projects such as providing three-wheeled vehicles (tuk-tuks) and sewing machines to help families secure income sources.

In Yemen, Kuwaiti goodwill took another form of mercy, transforming into loaves of bread delivered daily to the tables of needy families to alleviate the burden of living conditions. This was achieved through the launch of the "Kuwait Charity Bakery" project in the Hadhramaut governorate by the Kuwait Association for Civil Communication, under the "Kuwait is by Your Side" campaign.

The association’s director, Abdullah Al-Shahab, told KUNA that the project covers an area of 281 square meters and targets poor, modest, and needy families by producing 10,000 loaves daily to provide one of the most essential food needs.

Al-Shahab explained that the project was completed with support and funding from Kuwaiti benefactors, under the field supervision of the association, and in cooperation with official authorities. Its implementation phases included construction, equipment installation, and operational setup, leading to the bakery’s opening and operation.

He noted that the association will continue implementing its development and relief projects in cooperation with Kuwaiti official authorities, enhancing Kuwaiti humanitarian presence and helping to reduce the living burdens on needy communities.

Kuwaiti initiatives in recent periods reveal the expansion and diversity of these pathways, uniting different geographies under a single message: reaching the human being at the site of their need and granting them a greater chance for life, health, and stability. Thus, Kuwaiti humanitarian work, guided by high directives and within the "Kuwait is by Your Side" campaign, continues to build bridges of mercy and support to the most vulnerable communities in various parts of the world. This effort relies on a solid humanitarian legacy and continuous cooperation between charitable institutions and Kuwaiti official authorities, which facilitate humanitarian missions and ensure they reach their rightful recipients. This reflects a Kuwaiti presence that places human dignity at the core of its mission.

This joint effort embodies multiple images of support in an approach that does not merely alleviate the suffering of the needy but seeks to provide them with tools to help them restore stability and build their future, transforming the contributions of benefactors into a humanitarian impact that transcends the boundaries of immediate assistance.