Head of Saudi aid agency KSrelief visits earthquake relief projects in Turkey
RIYADH: Saudi aid agency KSrelief’s director general Abdullah Al-Rabeeah on Tuesday visited the towns of Reyhanli and Kirikhan in Turkey’s Hatay province to inspect the work of volunteers involved in the agency’s programs aimed at providing relief to 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 Saudi voluntary Samaa program for auditory rehabilitation and cochlear implants at the MMT American Hospital in Reyhanli, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday. He spoke with volunteers and learned how the program is helping to alleviate suffering.
The aid agency chief praised the “outstanding achievements of the Saudi staff” in implementing various volunteer programs to help those affected by the earthquakes, and said their “efforts were under the generous patronage and continued support” of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The kingdom will continue to implement humanitarian projects that serve people in need around the world, he added.
Al-Rabeeah also visited a vocational training centre to learn about the support and assistance it provides to those affected by the earthquakes, helping them develop skills and experience through courses in a range of subjects, including maintaining mobile phones and tablets, sewing and embroidery, and graphic design.
During a visit to the headquarters of the Center for Rehabilitation and Limb Prosthesis in the state of Hatay, he became acquainted with the facility’s activities involving the production and fitting of prosthetic limbs, as well as with the rehabilitation and basic medical services that the center provides to earthquake victims.
Al-Rabeeah was briefed on the work of the Saudi Volunteer Psychological Support Team and visited camps where they distribute food parcels, medical supplies and gifts to children. He visited a specialized psychological clinic and learned about the integrated medical and health services system they provide.
He praised healthcare providers for the services they provide to patients of all ages to help them overcome the shock and psychological effects caused by the earthquakes.
The service recipients thanked the government and people of Saudi Arabia for the quick response to the earthquake by volunteer groups working with the KSrelief organization, who provided them with necessary 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 help implement volunteer programs. Ceber praised the Kingdom for the humanitarian aid it is providing, through KSrelief, to earthquake victims.
Al-Rabeeah also inspected a project to provide 364 homes for people in the Islahiyah area of Gaziantep. The recipients thanked the Kingdom for providing them with the shelter they urgently needed after the earthquakes, and said the temporary homes were of high quality and had a modern design.
KSrelief 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 County and Adiyaman and Malatya Governorates in Turkey, as well as 1,500 in the Afrin region of Aleppo County.
Each temporary housing unit has two rooms, equipped with basic furniture and a bathroom. The agency has also built a school that can accommodate 756 children, a prayer hall that can accommodate 700 worshippers, 20 caravans for administrative and commercial use, 15 playgrounds for children and a well for water supply. KSrelief is also providing solar energy equipment and infrastructure for the housing estates.
So far, around 12,000 people have benefited from the housing. Work is underway to provide another 1,000 temporary homes in three parts of Hatay Province. It is expected that these homes will benefit 5,000 people.