Khabar Khair (Only Good News) – Fatima Rashad

    During the years of conflict, Kuwait Society for Relief has implemented a number of development projects in vital sectors, focusing its assistance on supporting and sustaining essential public services, and providing household assets for the population.

    Kuwait Society for Relief continues the developmental legacy of Kuwait in Yemen, by increasing the number of its projects in the income-generating economic sectors, and urgent response to the country’s needs.

    Kuwait Society for Relief is active in Yemen in eight key sectors: the agricultural and fisheries sector, health, education, water, food, shelter and livelihoods.

    On his part, Dr. Adel Baashen (Deputy head of Kuwait Society for Relief‘s office in Yemen) told Khabar Khair (Only Good News): “The cost of the Kuwait Society’s projects implemented in Yemen since 2015 has exceeded $100 million, and the number is still growing through new projects and required interventions.” .

     He added, “Throughout the years of conflict in Yemen, we have given more space to large and vital projects, especially in the agricultural and fisheries sectors, owing to their economic returns to beneficiaries, and their role in generating income, creating employment opportunities, and developing state resources.”

   Baashen explained that Kuwait Society for Relief attaches great importance to the Livelihood Program for Yemeni Communities to make people less vulnerable and more resistant to economic shocks, by developing skills and providing beneficiaries with productive assets, meaning sustainable livelihood.

    The society has completed projects in all Yemeni governorates. Dr. Adel Baashen reviewed the most important projects implemented by the society over the past six years in the following sectors.

    Kuwait Society for Relief provided 400 fishing boats with engines and full equipment to the needy fishermen in Al-Mahra and Al-Hodeidah governorates, benefiting 5,600 individuals, belonging to 800 families.

    Kuwait Society provided 150 families in Hadhramaut, Taiz and Hodeidah governorates with ten large fishing boats (ferries) that can go out to the territorial waters, and encounter the risks, to achieve economic empowerment for fishermen and their families of 1,050 individuals, and to contribute to increasing fish production and lowering prices.

    In the area of health, Kuwait Society distributed more than 40 ambulances and buses, provided Yemeni hospitals in 7 governorates with the most advanced medical appliances and equipment, and supplied hospital pharmacies with 70% of their medicines needs.

    It has established the largest governmental factory in Yemen for the manufacture of oxygen, the Oxygen Factory in Aden Governorate, with a production capacity of 300 oxygen tank per day, and Preparations are under way for the opening of another factory with European equipment.

 As part of its efforts to strengthening the capacity of the health sector, Kuwait Society is preparing to provide several hospitals with medical equipment

    In the education sector, Kuwait Society, repaired and furnished more than 60 schools in all Yemeni governorates, rehabilitated and furnished them, and provided the Ministry of Education with the latest printing presses, their tools and attachments for printing textbooks, and secondary and primary school certificates.

   It also distributed 6,280 school bags, and built new classrooms in the areas of the displaced people’s concentration, which are temporary classroom in several governorates. It also contracted with 100 teachers on the island to fill the severe shortage of teachers.

   Its future projects in the education sector include the restoration of the Al-Shawkani School in Lahj Governorate, Abdul Rahman Qahtan School in Labous (Yafa), the construction of an integrated school in the Lawdar area, in addition to the restoration of the Faculty of Arts in Taiz Governorate and many other schools.

    As part of the expansion of the Decent Life Program to support food production in : Lahj, Abyan, Shabwa, Hadhramout and Al-Mahra, it provided full support to farmers, including all production chains of seeds and agricultural advisory.

   It also distributed 100 manual plough machines to abstinent farmers in Al Hudaydah Governorate, to empower them economically by providing them with production inputs.

   Kuwait Society implemented integrated projects in the water sector, from drilling wells to equipment, and it has opened three wells in the Bir Nasser field with pumps and equipment to strengthen water system in Aden.

    The project of drilling ten wells in Bir Nasser was the most important project in the water sector, which is currently being implemented in Aden, to pour this water into the system that supplies the whole city , benefiting nearly one and a half million people.

    The ten wells being implemented will cover a large part of the water needs of the residents of Aden, and the project cost about 4 billion riyals, in addition to 3 wells of the Water Foundation, operating on solar energy with a production capacity of 630 kilowatts, which is the largest station for electricity production by means of solar energy.

    Dr. Adel Baashen said Kuwait Society for Relief has future projects that will be implemented, and some of them are currently being implemented, including the Taiz Water Project and the Greater Aden Water Project in Abyan Governorate, in addition to a project to distribute 180 sewing machines, and a diploma that will be in the governorates of: Ibb, Hadramout, Sana’a and Aden, in addition to Distribution of 350 tuk-tuks in Hadhramaut, Ma’rib and Taiz.

     Baashen stressed that Kuwait Society’s interventions come to strengthen the capacities of essential public institutions, sustainable livelihoods and economic empowerment of Yemenis, and turn them into self-reliant producers.

     Kuwait Society for Relief works in all Yemeni governorates through the “Kuwait by your side” campaign, where its work focuses on providing support to the needy in the education, health, shelter, water, food and livelihoods sectors.