IICO supports two million people in Gaza through 86 relief projects worth $11 million
The International Islamic Charity Organization implemented a series of projects in Gaza over the past year, concentrating on critical areas such as shelter, food, education, health, and access to clean water.
• Dr. Abdullah Matouk Al-Maatouk, the Chairman of the IICO, said the total value of the programs announced under the SANAD initiative—including life-saving interventions, shelter, health, education, and economic empowerment—amounted to approximately $2 billion.
The International Islamic Charity Organization (IICO) has carried out 86 humanitarian projects in Gaza over the past year, focusing on shelter, food, education, health, and clean water. These initiatives, valued at over $11 million, have benefited two million people, according to Al Rai newspaper.
This was stated by Dr. Abdullah Matouk Al-Maatouk, the Chairman of the IICO, during his speech at the opening of the “Waise and Injaz” event, which highlighted efforts to support the Palestinian people in Gaza across various relief sectors over the past year and documented Kuwait’s contributions to humanitarian work.
Al-Maatouk noted that the organization carried out 86 targeted humanitarian projects over the past year in areas such as shelter, food, education, health, clean water, community support, and more. These efforts, backed by over $11 million in funding, benefited more than two million people across different parts of the Gaza Strip.
He added that the SANAD initiative, aimed at promoting humanitarian interventions and early recovery in the region, was launched in coordination with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The initiative seeks to build a global humanitarian alliance to support interventions in the devastated area and to unite efforts against this unprecedented crisis.
He explained that the initiative was introduced during the ninth conference for effective partnership under the slogan Humanitarian Partnership, held in Kuwait last May. The event was attended by 147 local, regional, and international organizations from 48 countries. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a speech commending the conference’s achievements.
He further stated that the total value of the programs announced under the initiative—including life-saving interventions, shelter, health, education, and economic empowerment—amounted to approximately $2 billion. He emphasized that the organization is currently preparing the first progress report on the initiative in collaboration with its partners.
For his part, Nasser Al-Hamad, the Secretary-General of the General Secretariat of Awqaf, stated in his speech that the Secretariat signed a cooperation agreement with the Kuwait Relief Society to allocate half a million dinars for the relief of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. This includes running air relief bridges in cooperation with all government and private institutions, led by the International Islamic Charity Organization and the Kuwait Red Crescent.
Al-Hamad explained that the Secretariat has supported charitable projects in the West Bank, including the governorates of Nablus and Jerusalem, under the supervision of the Kuwait Relief Society. One such project, implemented by the Solidarity Charity Association in Nablus in July of last year, provided food packages for orphans and the poor, as well as medical equipment.
