RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has signed two major deals to provide vital aid to Yemenis during Ramadan.
Emergency health services and food support are among the multimillion-dollar contracts agreed between the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) and a civil society organization in war-torn Yemen.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, general supervisor of KSRelief, said on Tuesday that the aid programs aimed to save the lives of at-risk Yemenis and offer emergency and free health care to internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Special nutritional foods will be given to children under the age of five, and other services will include vaccinations for mothers and children, reproductive health care for mothers and lactating women, pregnancy follow-up, treatment of injuries, activation of a medical referral system, health education, and the safe disposal of waste.
Al-Rabeeah said the first contract signed will be directed toward 91,250 IDPs in the Hodeidah governorate. A second agreement will provide clean drinking water, and sanitation and hygiene services to 30,000 IDPs in the same region. A safe and healthy waste disposal system will be installed to reduce the risk of spread of disease.
The project will also secure healthy daily-use water sources, including the transporting and packaging of water, provision of hygiene kits and the establishment of an area for safe waste collection and disposal.
Al-Rabeeah recently signed two other agreements to provide food aid to the people of Yemen as part of the $240 million Saudi-UAE “Imdad” initiative.
UN World Food Program (WFP) representative, Rehan Asad, said: “The generous contribution from Saudi Arabia and the UAE will make a significant impact on innocent people in Yemen.”
“This contribution of $240 million will really assist the WFP to help the people of Yemen in the month of Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr, to support them and their families to survive and to have the food support they truly deserve,” Asad added.
“On behalf of the WFP, we thank Saudi Arabia and the UAE for their generous contribution. WFP is committed to helping the people in Yemen, along with our partners and looks forward to continuing its partnerships in the future.”
