Saudi Arabia Expands Support in Yemen with New Health, Women’s Empowerment Initiatives

Saudi humanitarian aid to Yemen has covered all aspects of life, including the health sector. (Saba)
Saudi humanitarian aid to Yemen has covered all aspects of life, including the health sector. (Saba)
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Saudi Arabia Expands Support in Yemen with New Health, Women’s Empowerment Initiatives

Saudi humanitarian aid to Yemen has covered all aspects of life, including the health sector. (Saba)
Saudi humanitarian aid to Yemen has covered all aspects of life, including the health sector. (Saba)

Saudi Arabia, through its King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), continues to expand its humanitarian and development programs across Yemen, focusing on improving living conditions for vulnerable groups and promoting economic recovery in areas ravaged by war.

In the city of Seiyun, in the Hadramout Governorate, KSrelief launched a new package of specialized health services for women and their families under the “Bidaya” (Beginning) project, implemented by the Al-Amal Women’s Cultural and Social Foundation. The initiative benefits around 21 families in Wadi Hadramout and aims to close critical healthcare gaps for those most in need.

The project provides free medical consultations, diagnostic tests, and essential medicines, as well as awareness sessions on disease prevention, vaccination campaigns for unvaccinated children, and reproductive and mental health services. It covers about 180 cases across primary, physical, and psychological care.

Amer Al-Amri, Deputy Governor of Hadramout for the Valley and Desert Affairs, described the initiative as “a key contribution to strengthening healthcare services in remote areas.”

He highlighted the importance of partnership with KSrelief in delivering projects that directly address citizens’ needs, adding that the programs “also help empower women and prepare them to play a greater role in supporting their families and local communities.”

Alongside its humanitarian efforts, Saudi Arabia is advancing economic empowerment programs aimed at improving livelihoods and promoting stability. KSrelief recently distributed vocational toolkits to 650 women as part of its Professional Empowerment Project in the governorates of Marib, Hadramout, Lahj, Al-Mahrah, Shabwa, Taiz and Socotra.

The toolkits span various trades, including food production, livestock breeding, perfume and incense making, photography, sewing and embroidery, phone repair, and fishing net weaving, enabling participants to launch small income-generating projects and support their families.

Targeting 1,500 beneficiaries, the project is part of a broader Saudi strategy to help Yemen transition from dependence on relief aid to sustainable development.

Organizers said the program offers job opportunities for vulnerable groups, particularly widows and female breadwinners, by providing them with professional tools and training to start small businesses without significant capital.

These initiatives reflect Saudi Arabia’s comprehensive approach that combines immediate humanitarian aid with long-term development planning to alleviate suffering and improve living standards in conflict zones.

According to KSrelief, Saudi Arabia has implemented hundreds of projects in Yemen in recent years, covering sectors such as health, education, food security, water, women’s empowerment, and psychosocial support.



UAE Envoy Says Aid to Gaza to be Scaled Up

Aid donated by the UAE for the people of Gaza is stored in a warehouse at the port of Limassol, Cyprus November 7, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou P
Aid donated by the UAE for the people of Gaza is stored in a warehouse at the port of Limassol, Cyprus November 7, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou P
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UAE Envoy Says Aid to Gaza to be Scaled Up

Aid donated by the UAE for the people of Gaza is stored in a warehouse at the port of Limassol, Cyprus November 7, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou P
Aid donated by the UAE for the people of Gaza is stored in a warehouse at the port of Limassol, Cyprus November 7, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou P

The United Arab Emirates is preparing to increase aid deliveries into Gaza, an envoy said on Friday, saying a sea corridor from Cyprus was essential alongside land and air access.

Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh said a maritime route channelling pre-screened aid from the East Mediterranean island was a vital lifeline to the people of Gaza. The UAE has partnered with Cyprus in supplying large quantities of aid to the Palestinian enclave, devastated by a two-year war, Reuters reported.

"Maintaining multiple entry points into Gaza remains incredibly important," Nusseibeh said after an inspection of aid accumulating at the port of Limassol in Cyprus.

"As this plan moves forward, access to Gaza by land, air and sea is going to remain critical," she told reporters.

Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed a month ago to a first phase of a plan presented by US President Donald Trump. It paused a devastating two-year war in Gaza triggered by a cross-border attack by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023, and secured a deal to release Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

Despite the ceasefire, far too little aid was reaching Gaza, humanitarian agencies said on Tuesday.

Some 22,000 tons of pre-screened aid has been dispatched from Cyprus under the Amalthea Initiative launched last year. Some of it reached Gaza directly via a short-lived temporary pier set up by the US last year, while other shipments have been dispatched to the port of Ashdod in Israel.


Saudi Leadership Offers Condolences to Philippines President over Typhoon Victims

Joint photo of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud - File Photo
Joint photo of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud - File Photo
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Saudi Leadership Offers Condolences to Philippines President over Typhoon Victims

Joint photo of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud - File Photo
Joint photo of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud - File Photo

The Saudi leadership extended condolences to the President of the Philippines over the victims of Typhoon Kalmaegi, that left tens dead after it struck the central part of the country.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud sent a cable of condolences to Philippines President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. expressing his sincere condolences and sympathy, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, sent a similar cable to Marcos Jr.

He expressed his condolences to the president, the families of the deceased, and the friendly people of the Philippines, wishing for the safe return of the missing and speedy recovery for the injured.


Saudi, US Forces Hold Joint Military Exercise

The drill aims to enhance operational readiness, exchange expertise, and strengthen integration in conducting joint operations across diverse combat environments. Photo: Saudi Defense Ministry
The drill aims to enhance operational readiness, exchange expertise, and strengthen integration in conducting joint operations across diverse combat environments. Photo: Saudi Defense Ministry
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Saudi, US Forces Hold Joint Military Exercise

The drill aims to enhance operational readiness, exchange expertise, and strengthen integration in conducting joint operations across diverse combat environments. Photo: Saudi Defense Ministry
The drill aims to enhance operational readiness, exchange expertise, and strengthen integration in conducting joint operations across diverse combat environments. Photo: Saudi Defense Ministry

Saudi Arabia’s Royal Land Forces and the US Army have kicked off “Quincy-1,” a joint military exercise, at Fort Irwin, a major training base in the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California.

The drill aims to enhance operational readiness, exchange expertise, and strengthen integration in conducting joint operations across diverse combat environments.

Fort Irwin, one of the largest military training facilities in the United States, spans approximately 1,200 square miles in the heart of the Mojave Desert.