KSrelief, WHO Launch Project to Improve WASH Services in Yemen’s Health Facilities

KSrelief teams distribute aid in Yemen's Dhale Governorate. (SPA)
KSrelief teams distribute aid in Yemen's Dhale Governorate. (SPA)
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KSrelief, WHO Launch Project to Improve WASH Services in Yemen’s Health Facilities

KSrelief teams distribute aid in Yemen's Dhale Governorate. (SPA)
KSrelief teams distribute aid in Yemen's Dhale Governorate. (SPA)

WHO and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) are launching a $ 3.75 million project to enhance the water supply and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in Yemen’s health facilities, WHO said in a statement on its website.
The project will target the most vulnerable populations across the country.
Titled “Improved WASH Services in Healthcare Facilities with Sustainable Water Supply to Serve the Most Vulnerable Populations in Yemen”, the project aligns strategic objectives of Yemen’s Humanitarian Response Plan 2024 and priorities of the WASH Cluster and Health Cluster.
Focusing on life-saving support for internally displaced people and vulnerable groups, the project will improve health care for 580 231 beneficiaries. It will do so by enabling 10 health facilities to sustain safe water, maintaining water services in 60 other facilities and upgrading WASH infrastructure in 2 hospitals, benefiting newborns, maternal health, and disease prevention, added the statement.

WHO will ensure safe water supply, infection prevention and control, and water quality monitoring as part of the project to safeguard health services.
“This project is a critical step towards reducing morbidity and mortality from preventable illnesses among the Yemeni population. By improving WASH services in health facilities, we not only ensure the safety of health workers and patients but also increase patient satisfaction with the services provided,” said Dr Arturo Pesigan, WHO Representative to Yemen.
KSrelief remains dedicated to supporting initiatives that directly impact vulnerable communities in Yemen. This project’s focus on sustainable water supply and enhanced WASH services in health facilities will significantly improve service delivery and address critical health challenges, stated Dr. Abdullah Al-Muallem, Health and Environmental Aid Department Director.
This project underscores the collaborative efforts of WHO and KSrelief in serving the most vulnerable populations in Yemen and ensuring their access to essential health services, WHO statement concluded.



Kuwait Jails 13 Citizens, Fines them $87 Mn for Hezbollah Funding

A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice in Kuwait City, June 16, 2013. (Reuters)
A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice in Kuwait City, June 16, 2013. (Reuters)
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Kuwait Jails 13 Citizens, Fines them $87 Mn for Hezbollah Funding

A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice in Kuwait City, June 16, 2013. (Reuters)
A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice in Kuwait City, June 16, 2013. (Reuters)

Kuwait’s Court of Cassation on Monday sentenced 13 citizens to three years in prison for raising funds through a charity to support Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

The court also fined them 27 million Kuwaiti dinars ($87 million), overturning a previous acquittal by a lower court.

The court that issued the sentencing was presided over by Judge Abdullah Jassim Al-Abdullah.

Initially, the Criminal Court had acquitted the defendants, citing the absence of legislation explicitly criminalizing unlicensed fundraising for public purposes since the establishment of Kuwait's Social Affairs Department on December 14, 1954.

The court said this legal gap limited its authority under Article 132 of the Code of Criminal Procedures and Trials. However, the decision was reversed by the higher court.

The defendants had been interrogated in November 2021 over alleged financial support to organizations linked to Hezbollah.

At the time, the Public Prosecution ordered their detention, and security authorities conducted extensive investigations into financial transfers suspected of funding such groups in Lebanon.

The case dates back to November 2021. The charges included significant financial transfers made over several years to foreign entities, including in Lebanon, prompting authorities to scrutinize transaction records.

The defendants denied the charges, claiming they had worked with a charity committee for 30 years, primarily sponsoring orphans in Lebanon and other countries.

In March 2024, the Court of Cassation classified Hezbollah as a banned terrorist group, describing it as an armed organization working to undermine Kuwait’s system and spread Iran’s revolutionary ideology.

The ruling officially confirmed Hezbollah’s designation as a terrorist entity under Kuwaiti law.