Saudi Arabia extends helping hand to Syrian refugees

Saudi Arabia has been at the forefront of countries providing aid to the Syrian people since the outbreak of the crisis in 2011, with a total of $1 billion in humanitarian assistance from the kingdom delivered so far.

The kingdom on April 25th pledged $100 million through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief) to "alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people", Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir announced during a conference on supporting the future of Syria and the region in Brussels.

Since the war began, the kingdom has taken in about 2.5 million Syrians, he said, providing them with free health care, work and education.

Saudi universities and schools have more than 140,000 Syrian students, he added.

Saudi Arabia is also supporting and helping care for millions of Syrian refugees in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, in co-ordination with the governments of those countries, al-Jubeir said.

Calls to end the bloodshed

"Saudi Arabia was one of the first countries to provide humanitarian aid to the Syrian people since the outbreak of the crisis in 2011," said Ministry of Social Affairs director of charitable organisations Mohammed bin Abdullah al-Asiri.

"Efforts to deliver aid have been carried out in conjunction with the kingdom's consistent call for the need to end the conflict by all political means possible in order to put an end to the bloodbath that has been continuing for years," he told Al-Mashareq.

The kingdom has repeatedly declared its support for any political initiative, such as the Geneva conference, he said, which would bring warring parties closer together to reach a solution.

"The kingdom’s humanitarian and charitable organisations began to take urgent action soon after the displacement and migration [crisis] started in 2012," al-Asiri said.

Aid not only reaches those inside Syria but also Syrians who fled to neighbouring countries, where efforts are focused on providing refugees living in camps with food, clothes and household appliances, he said.

Assistance efforts intensify during Ramadan to include the distribution of food baskets, in addition to the provision of fixed and mobile kitchens that serve iftar meals to thousands of families in Syria and abroad, al-Asiri said.

"The contributions made by the King Salman Centre and other Saudi governmental and semi-governmental organisations include more than 300 projects in the humanitarian, food, education and health sectors," said Mansour al-Rajhi, a relief co-ordinator with KSRelief.

This is in addition to the provision of shelter accommodations, camps and all logistical assistance required by refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and people living in war zones, he told Al-Mashareq.

Saudi contributions are made either directly or in co-operation with UN agencies, the International Red Cross and the Red Crescent, as well as the governments of countries hosting large numbers of refugees, especially Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon.

Medical, psychological care

"The most recent project carried out by KSRelief in northern Syria was the establishment of a centre to care for people suffering from mental illnesses," said Syrian physician Dr. Abdul Jalil Shams, a medical professional affiliated with KSRelief in northern Syria.

The new centre, established in the city of Azaz, northwest of Aleppo, provides shelter for the homeless as well as medical and psychological care, he told Al-Mashareq.

It is equipped with 1,200 beds and provides assistance to more than 7,000 patients who do not reside at the centre, he said, noting that it is the only one of its kind remaining in northern Syria after the destruction of all similar facilities in the ongoing fighting.

"The contributions by KSRelief reach the largest number of beneficiaries possible," said Shams, particularly food items, which are distributed on a regular basis, whenever security conditions in northern Syria permit.

The centre also supports a number of small enterprises run by Syrian families, especially farmers, he said.

These include the distribution of milk-producing cows to families and the provision of medical care and feed for the cows to enable recipient families to benefit from the sale of milk and by-products, he said.

"Support [by the kingdom] was also provided to make the hospitals in Bab al-Hawa, al-Lataminah and Kafr Nabl operational," said Shams, in addition to other projects related to education and the rehabilitation of water plants and solid waste recycling facilities.