KSrelief Has Implemented 2,400+ Projects in 92 Countries

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA: Since its founding by King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been providing extensive humanitarian aid to people in need around the world. Today, under the guidance of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Kingdom is still a leader in global humanitarian action, and has provided life-saving support and aid to people in need in 92 countries in partnership with the United Nations and other leading international aid providers.

On 13 May 2015, the Kingdom’s leadership established the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) to act as the humanitarian arm of Saudi Arabia, to become a leading international center for humanitarian action, and to organize and monitor all of the Kingdom’s international aid efforts, both public and private. The center ensures that all of the Kingdom’s humanitarian work is carried out in accordance with international aid standards, and documents all of Saudi Arabia’s aid on UN and other international aid data platforms.

Under the directives of the Kingdom’s generous leadership, KSrelief has provided comprehensive, impartial humanitarian assistance to people in need in 92 countries through more than 2,470 programs and projects at a cost of more than USD 6 billion. KSrelief’s aid projects have addressed needs across all humanitarian sectors, including food security, education, health, nutrition, WASH, shelter and protection. Millions of people have received urgent care and support thanks to the Kingdom’s ongoing commitment to meeting the needs of the world’s most vulnerable groups, particularly women and children. KSrelief has worked with 175 aid partners since it was established eight years ago, including UN agencies and other international, regional and civil society aid organizations.

Among KSrelief’s qualitative humanitarian programs is Yemen’s MASAM landmine clearance project, which since 2018 has deactivated more than 410,000 explosive devices across the country. More than 48,000 people have received life-changing care at KSrelief-sponsored Artificial Limbs Centers, which provide prosthetic limbs and physical rehabilitation services to amputees and others in need of specialized care. Between 2020 and 2023, patients have received 155,000 cost-free devices and services, including custom-made prosthetics and orthotics, training and device maintenance; the centers are located in the Yemeni governorates of Aden, Taiz, Ma’rib and Hadramawt.

KSrelief has also implemented a program to provide support for children who were recruited into armed conflict. The Reintegration of Children Formerly Associated with Armed Conflict (CFAAC) program in Yemen provides comprehensive psychological and social rehabilitation services to these and other children severely affected by the armed conflict in Yemen, including reenrolling them into school; the program also provides ongoing psychological support for the children and their families. CFAAC also aims to educate parents about the dangers of child recruitment through awareness and education about the issue and informing them about laws that criminalize child recruitment. Since its launch in 2017, 755 children have benefited from this project, with 84,592 indirect beneficiaries (parents).

Volunteerism is an important component in all of KSrelief’s work, and the center highly values its volunteers and their contributions to many of its projects. Saudi Vision 2030’s goal of increasing the number of volunteers in the Kingdom to one million can be achieved by educating young people about the importance of volunteering to help others. KSrelief’s “Saudi International Volunteer Portal” helps to recruit volunteers by allowing them to register and by listing various volunteer opportunities in which they can participate. More than 53,000 volunteers have so far registered on the portal, and the center also recruits specialized volunteers to help carry out medical campaigns and other programs around the world. Thus far, more than 410 volunteer programs have been implemented across various humanitarian sectors in 35 countries.

On 19 August each year, KSrelief celebrates International Humanitarian Day to share in the world’s gratitude and appreciation for humanitarian workers who give their time and sometimes even sacrifice their lives to serve needy people around the world.

KSrelief will continue to work on behalf of the Kingdom to alleviate the suffering of all in need.