King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre supports the sanitation, hygiene and health of families and children in Gaza

RIYADH – 24 November 2024.  Today, The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) signed a new agreement to support the provision of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) project and essential health care project for the children and families in the Gaza Strip.

The agreement was signed by KSrelief’s Assistant Supervisor General of Operations & Programs Eng. Ahmed Al Baiz and UNICEF Representative to the Gulf Area Eltayeb Adam on the sidelines of the Conjoined Twins Conference held in Riyadh, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The two projects – for a value of US$2 million each – will reach hundreds of thousands internally displaced people (IDP) with WASH lifesaving supplies support and essential health services.

The “Supporting WASH Lifesaving Needs” project includes emergency water supply services and the distribution of critical hygiene items to around 106,590 people in the southern and the middle areas of the Gaza Strip, addressing crucial and urgent humanitarian needs in terms of water, sanitation and hygiene.

The “Providing Essential Health Support to Vulnerable Children” project, is expected to reach a total of 73,000 internally displaced people in the Gaza Strip, with access to quality life-saving high-impact, maternal and neonatal health services, including primary health care and immunization, and essential medical lifesaving supplies to support essential newborn care.

“Children in Gaza are living in dire hygiene and sanitation situation, alongside mountains of trash and raw sewage as basic services reach a breaking point amid continued fighting and displacement. With the shortage of clean water, food and health care services, and after we saw the emergence of Polio, it is critical to support the children in the Gaza Strip with critical lifesaving health, water, sanitation and hygiene to address imminent health risks and ensure children and mothers survival. We are grateful to KSrelief for this generous contribution.” Said Eltayeb Adam, UNICEF Representative to the Gulf Area

“This cooperation with UNICEF is yet another example of KSA’s unwavering commitment to the Palestinian people, given the dire humanitarian conditions and growing needs amid the fast-deteriorating humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip,” said Eng. Ahmed Albaiz, KSrelief’s Assistant Supervisor General for Operations and Programs.

“Indeed, through these two projects, with a total cost of 4 million dollars, UNICEF will provide urgently needed water and sanitation, hygiene assistance, and healthcare services to vulnerable displaced people and children, including newborn infants,” he added.

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Note to editors:

• The Supporting WASH Lifesaving Needs is a 12-month project expected to reach 106,590 people with direct support and over 143,410 people indirectly. It includes procuring and installing 2,000L rigid water tanks and the procurement and distribution of 17,765 hygiene kits to support children and their families in practicing adequate hygiene.
• The Providing Essential Health Support to Vulnerable Children in the Gaza Strip 18-month project will directly benefit 3,000 newborns, 30,000 children under 5, 30,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women and 10,000 injured people. It involves procuring essential medical supplies to support health and nutrition care services for maternal and women’s health including high-risk pregnancies.