Head of the Saudi aid organization KSrelief visits projects to support earthquake victims in Turkey
RIYADH: The General Supervisor of the Saudi-run relief organization KSrelief, Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, visited the towns of Reyhanli and Kirikhan in Turkey’s Hatay province on Tuesday to see the work of volunteers participating in the organization’s programs to help people affected by the earthquakes that struck parts of Turkey and Syria in February last year.
Al-Rabeeah and his delegation reviewed the progress of the voluntary Saudi Samaa hearing rehabilitation and cochlear implant program at the MMT American Hospital in Reyhanli, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday. He spoke to volunteers and learned how the program helps alleviate suffering.
The head of the aid organization praised “the outstanding performance of the Saudi crew” in implementing various volunteer programs to support the earthquake victims and said their “efforts were under the generous patronage and continuous support” of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The kingdom will continue to implement humanitarian projects that help people in need around the world, he added.
Al-Rabeeah also visited a vocational training centre to see the support and assistance the centre is providing to earthquake victims. The centre offers courses on a range of subjects, including mobile phone and tablet maintenance, sewing and embroidery, and graphic design, to help victims develop their skills and experience.
During a tour of the headquarters of the Hatay State Prosthetics and Rehabilitation Center, he was given an overview of the center’s work in manufacturing and fitting prosthetics, as well as the rehabilitation and basic health services the center provides to earthquake victims.
Al-Rabeeah was briefed on the work of the Saudi Volunteer Psychological Support Team and visited camps where it distributes food baskets, medical supplies and gifts to children. He toured a specialist psychological clinic and learned about the integrated medical and health care system it offers.
He praised health care providers for the services they provide to support patients of all ages and help them overcome the shock and psychological impact of the earthquakes.
The benefit recipients thanked the government and people of Saudi Arabia for the rapid response of KSrelief-affiliated volunteer teams to the earthquake and the provision of vital medical assistance, food and shelter.
Al-Rabeeah met with Gaziantep Governor Kemal Ceber and thanked him for the facilities the governorate has provided to KSrelief to support the implementation of its volunteer programs. Ceber praised the Kingdom for the humanitarian aid it is providing to earthquake victims through KSrelief.
Al-Rabeeah also inspected a project to provide 364 houses for people in the Islahiyah district of Gaziantep. The recipients thanked the Kingdom for providing the shelters they so desperately needed after the earthquakes, saying the temporary housing was of high quality and modern in design.
KSrelief has provided a total of 3,000 temporary housing units for earthquake victims in Syria and Turkey, including 1,500 in the Islah and Nurdag regions of Gaziantep and the Adiyaman and Malatya governorates of Turkey, and 1,500 in the Afrin region of Aleppo.
Each temporary housing unit consists of two rooms with basic furniture and a bathroom. The agency has also built a school for 756 children, a prayer room for 700 worshipers, 20 caravans for administrative and commercial purposes, 15 playgrounds for children and a well for water supply. KSrelief is also providing solar panels and infrastructure for the housing developments.
So far, around 12,000 people have benefited from the shelters and preparations are underway to provide another 1,000 temporary housing units in three parts of Hatay province, which are expected to benefit 5,000 people.