The Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) was established 58 years ago by a group of statesmen. Like other relief and aid societies, its objectives are to provide social and health care to needy groups, contribute to disaster rescue operations, provide first aid, provide assistance and protection to the wounded, prisoners, and those afflicted by wars, deliver aid to victims and their families, and other important social and humanitarian work.

When it was founded, the association was headed by the late Abdulaziz Al-Saqr, then he was succeeded by Uncle Barjas Hamoud Al-Barjas, before Dr. Al-Aziz Hilal Al-Sayer became Chairman of the Association’s Board of Directors, which currently consists of him, Anwar Al-Hasawi, Vice President; Maha Al-Barjas, Secretary-General; Abdullah Al-Humaidhi, Hamad Al-Bahr, and Muhammad Al-Nakhilan. , Khaled Al-Subaih, and Walid Al-Nisf, as members, and the association’s work is supported by a small army of workers and volunteers, whom we always find on the front lines, and there is not enough space to mention their names.

My acquaintance with Dr. Hilal Al-Sayer and the wonderful human being Maha Al-Barjas does not exceed a few beautiful social meetings, but their reputation as activists in social service, as Dr. Hilal’s previous experience as a doctor, and what the Kuwait Red Crescent Society has come to mean under their management, make me feel proud as a Kuwaiti, of what I have gained.

The association enjoys local and international respect and confidence in its capabilities. This is what prompted us, when establishing the Kuwaiti Humanitarian Friendship Society, to specify in the association’s bylaws that the association’s funds, if dissolved for any reason, would go to the Kuwait Red Crescent Society, and this came out of our confidence in the association and in those who handle its affairs.

The Red Crescent is perhaps the only entity that can be relied upon to deliver cash and relief materials, especially outside Kuwait, “without suspicion,” due to the near impossibility of knowing where and how financial aid is spent abroad.

My confidence in the association is due to the following reasons:

It refuses to deduct a high percentage of the donation money it receives, as all “charitable” organizations do, other than the Kuwaiti Humanitarian Friendship Society. Rather, the “Red Crescent” is satisfied with deducting a very small percentage to cover its huge financial burden, which is represented in delivering urgent aid to those in need at its expense, with what this requires that the association’s representatives accompany each shipment, and supervise its delivery to its beneficiaries in the best possible way.

Therefore, we, our friend Yaqoub Al-Jawaan, and other friends chose the “Red Crescent” to donate nearly 100 thousand dollars of medical supplies to the people of Gazaand the Red Crescent’s supervisors did not ask us, for example, to cover the cost of shipping and distributing them, nor even to cover the cost of the risks to which its representatives are exposed during the operation while delivering and distributing it to those in need in a dangerous area such as the Gaza Strip.

Moreover, the Red Crescent Society, even sixty years after its founding, has maintained a good reputation and a bright record of achievement, free of involvement in any unacceptable cases, and the theft scandals that have affected many similar societies have not caused it any goals!

Also, the Red Crescent Society is voluntary organization and does not aim for profit, and therefore it has never resorted to what has been rumored about some charity societies, which announced sending relief materials here and there, to buy aid from “certain parties”, especially since the supervision of the Ministry of Social Affairs often does not last long during this period.

Within days, the Kuwaiti Humanitarian Friendship Society will announce the start of its campaign to collect donations for the victims of Gaza, and will deliver all of what will be collected, without any deductions, and under the supervision of the Ministry of Social Affairs, to the Kuwait Red Crescent Society.

e-mail: [email protected]

By Ahmad alsarraf