AMMAN, JORDAN: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) recently provided 390 tents to the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO) – part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s support to Jordan to combat COVID-19 in the country.
JHCO is one of the KSrelief’s most important humanitarian partners in implementing relief projects in Jordan and Palestine.
ADEN, YEMEN: Artificial Limbs Centers established and supported by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) provide vital services to amputees and disabled patients throughout Yemen. The centers, which include locations in Taiz, Ma’rib and Aden, provide a wide range of services to amputees and others with physical challenges; services include the manufacturing and fitting of prosthetic limbs, physical therapy and rehabilitation, and specialized treatment for congenital conditions and other disabilites.
Below are the stories of just a few of the people whose lives have been changed by these centers of caring:
Ehab was born with a condition commonly known as “dwarfism”, which is defined as “short stature resulting from a genetic or medical condition”. His mother explained that by the time Ehab was in the second year of high school, his condition was a major obstacle to his mobility and ability to function. Even his 17 kilograms of body weight was too much for Ehab’s legs to carry him; he couldn’t climb stairs navigate on his own over the rugged terrain near his home. With all of these challenges, Ehab’s dream of completing his education seemed impossible.
Then, his mother found out about KSrelief’s Artificial Limbs Center in Taiz, which offers extensive physical rehabilitation services for the disabled. Hoping to improve the ability of his lower limbs to carry his body, Ehab began a course of physical therapy to help strengthen his body and improve his mobility. With the help of the center, he hopes to someday be able to move more easily, complete his education and go on to fulfill his dreams for the future.
Meshaal is a 20-month old boy who lives with his family in the Taiz governorate. The toddler was born with a congenital abnormality in the knee in his left leg, a condition his mother sought to hide from others, even though his condition was getting progressively worse over time. Meshaal’s mother was avoiding visiting others, and whenever anyone came to visit at home, she tried to hide his abnormality to protect her son from the negative opinions of others.
After taking Meshaal to many doctors, she was urged to take her son to KSrelief’s Artificial Limbs Center in the Ma’rib governorate. When she and Meshaal arrived at the center, they were greeted warmly, and she was impressed with the facilities available to help her son. Although before she came to the center she’d been afraid that her son would never be able to walk, Meshaal’s mother was delighted to learn that he would fully recover and live a normal, healthy life.
The expert staff at the center took measurements of Meshaal’s leg to create custom prosthetic splints to begin his treatment, and the technical team reassured the mother that correction of her son’s condition was only a matter of time. She now hopes that everyone suffering from a disability can reach the state of hopefulness and joy her family found at KSrelief’s Artificial Limbs Center, and is so grateful for the center’s high level of care and compassion for her son.
While Muhammad Ali Balghith was trying to save a wounded person in the town of Hayran in the Al Hudaydah Governorate, he was shot in the left leg. “I underwent treatment at the hospital for 6 months,” the 25-year-old reported, “before the doctors made the difficult decision to amputate my leg just below the knee. My hope for a normal life was immediately gone, since I was then unable to walk.”
The doctors referred Muhammed to KSrelief’s Artificial Limbs Center, and he arrived there both sad and heartbroken. Right away, the center’s trained experts began to take his measurements and start working on making him a prosthetic leg. Once the limb was ready, Muhammed was taught how to use it, and after a period of training and rehabilitation, he was very happy with the results. “I began to feel comfortable,” he said, “and the joy of life came back to me! Finally, I was able to walk easily.”
The Yemeni artist Ali Al Khayyat visited the Artificial Limbs Center in Ma’rib to find out how his wife could receive treatment for her hand. “The way the staff treated us and welcomed us to the center was very special, polite and heartwarming,” he said. “My wife was examined with a great care and given all needed attention.”
Mr. Al Khayyat added that all of the patients at the center received the same kind of treatment, adding that he believed the facility was of great value to all of its patients and their families, helping injured and disabled Yemenis live their lives fully in a way they might only have dreamed about before. He added his appreciation for everything KSrelief was doing to alleviate the suffering of all Yemenis during the ongoing humanitarian crisis in their country.
YEMEN: King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) continues to distribute humanitarian aid to support people in need throughout Yemen; comprehensive, ongoing assistance is delivered to targeted beneficiaries in cooperation with the Benevolence Coalition for Humanitarian Relief. Recent aid was provided as follows:
18 March 2020: 50 tents and 200 blankets for 50 IDP families in the Al Meel and Al Rawda areas of Ma’rib.
19 March 2020: 152 tents and 608 blankets for 152 IDP families who fled Al Jawf to the Al Khir camp in Ma’rib. 3,000 boxes of dates were also handed out to provide nutritional assistance to 18,000 people in the Al Ghaydah district of Al Mahrah.
AMMAN, JORDAN: Medical clinics supported by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) at the Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan are implementing preventive plans and strict measures to counter the threat of COVID-19 at the camp. The program is being carried out in coordination with other humanitarian organizations working in the camp.
The plans included educating the refugees and staff in ways to prevent the spread of the infection, and also instructions to contact relevant medical staff at the clinics if any symptoms of the virus are present.
The program also called for the setting up of screening stations to receive patients upon their arrival at the clinics to carryout initial symptom checks. If any cases are suspected, patients are to be transferred to a primary quarantine facility, followed by coordination with the concerned camp authorities to take any further measures as included in Jordan’s Ministry of Health plan.
KSrelief clinics account for 90-95% of all Zaatari camp health facilities, and provide comprehensive health services to treat a wide range of conditions, including acute and chronic illnesses.
ADEN, YEMEN: Yesterday, 88 Somalian refugees left the Yemeni port of Aden to return to their homeland. The refugees were part of the Voluntary Repatriation Project for Refugees, implemented by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The program includes transportation of Somalis wishing to return to their country. They are first transported from Aden to Somalia by ship via the Red Sea, and are then transferred by air and land to locations throughout Somalia.
Since the project began in 2018, KSrelief has helped to repatriate around 2,000 Somalian refugees from Yemen, many of whom had settled in Yemen during the early 1990’s due to the internal conflict in their home country.
YEMEN: King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) continues to distribute humanitarian aid to support people in need throughout Yemen; comprehensive ongoing assistance is delivered to targeted beneficiaries in cooperation with the Benevolence Coalition for Humanitarian Relief. Recent aid was provided as follows:
17 March 2020: 50 tents and 200 blankets to 50 IDP families who fled Al Jawf to the Al Rakzah camp in Ma’rib. 4,300 boxes of dates were handed out to provide nutritional assistance to 25,800 people in the Al Ghaydah district of Al Mahrah.
MINIYEH, LEBANON: Thanks to funding from King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), Souboul Al Salam Association’s ambulances were able to conduct 13 missions last week, including transporting patients to and from hospitals and providing emergency assistance and treatment for people injured in car accidents.
In addition, the ambulance system is implementing a COVID-19 response plan in cooperation with the Health Office in the Miniyeh district. The plan will provide training for ambulance workers and nurses at local health care centers at the Minya Governmental Hospital to raise awareness and build capacities in COVID-19 diagnosis, response and treatment protocols.
The ambulances were provided by KSrelief as part of a project to support emergency services and transportation for refugees living in Lebanon.
POINTE NOIRE, CONGO: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) recently launched its second Volunteer Medical Campaign to Combat Blindness and its Causes in Pointe Noire, Congo. The program is being carried out in cooperation with Al Basar International Foundation.
During the mission’s fifth day, the team conducted 125 cataract (white water) removal surgeries. Some patients not requiring surgical intervention received eyeglasses (151 pairs) to improve their vision. Since the first day of the current campaign, the team has conducted 487 surgical procedures.
Campaigns to combat blindness have been carried out in Yemen, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Cameroon and other locations. Thousands of patients have benefitted from this outreach program so far.
AL HUDAYDAH, YEMEN: King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) continues to support Mobile Nutritional Clinics in the Al Khawkhah district of the Al Hudaydah governorate in Yemen. The clinics are being operated in partnership with the Taybah Foundation for Development.
Last week, the clinics saw 3,357 patients in integrated care services, while 18 others received inpatient services. Eight patients received blood transfusions, and the ECG clinics received 7 patients. Immunizations were administered to 164 people, and the injury treatment clinics helped 253 patients.
The clinic provided prescriptions for 4,126 people, and 3,815 utilized lab testing services. The reproductive health unit saw 195 people, and 9 women utilized the maternity clinics. The awareness-raising and education department saw 505 people. General healthcare received 1,369 patients, and two patients used the medical referral system. The therapeutic feeding clinic received 77 patients.
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA: During the second week of March 2020, MASAM project teams in Yemen from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) deactivated a total of 3,556 explosive devices, including 3 antipersonnel mines, 345 anti-vehicle mines, 574 improvised explosive devices and 2,634 pieces of unexploded ordnance. Since the project began in June of 2018, MASAM teams have deactivated more than 151,983 devices.
During the ongoing conflict in Yemen, Houthi militia groups have deployed more than a million explosive devices in populated areas throughout the country. These devices have killed and seriously injured many innocent civilians, and remain a serious threat to the safety and security of Yemen. The MASAM project focuses on demining activities and training Yemeni cadres to carry on this project themselves in the longer term.
