https://arab.news/68uc6
RIYADH: The Kingdom’s aid agency KSrelief has launched its Saudi Noor Voluntary Project to treat people with visual ailments and disabilities in Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Camp, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
Health workers examined 4,500 people, distributed 600 pairs of spectacles, and performed 115 specialized eye operations.
KSrelief runs Noor-affiliated programs in several countries around the world.
RIYADH: Saudi aid agency KSrelief has delivered a range of support equipment to the Somali National Disability Agency.
The initiative, carried out in partnership with the UN Development Program, is part of the Capacity Development and Empowerment for People with Disabilities project in Somalia which benefits 22,600 people.
The delivery ceremony was attended by the charge d’affaires of the Saudi embassy in Somalia, Mohammed Al-Budairi, and the director of the KSrelief branch in Africa, Yazid bin Abdullah Hamoud. Representing Somalia were Minister of Family and Human Rights Development Bashir Mohamed Jama, members of the Council of Ministers, members of parliament, diplomats and dignitaries.
The project aims to empower people with disabilities by providing access to education, vocational training and employment opportunities that enhance their independence and dignity. It also seeks to integrate them as active contributors to Somali society and strengthen the capacities of government agencies working in this field by offering technical and operational support.
RIYADH: The health sector in Gaza has been bolstered by 20 fully equipped ambulances from Saudi aid agency KSrelief, reported Saudi Press Agency.
The move comes as the Strip faces humanitarian challenges and repeated targeting of critical infrastructure, including ambulances and other health services.
The vehicles have significantly helped emergency response capabilities in the area, playing a vital role in treating the wounded and transferring them rapidly to medical centers.
RIYADH: Saudi aid agency KSrelief’s Noor Saudi volunteer project to combat blindness and its causes was implemented in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, last month.
During the campaign, which ran for a week, KSrelief's volunteer medical team examined 4,000 cases, performed 406 specialized eye surgeries, and distributed 1,154 pairs of eyeglasses.
The initiative is one of the humanitarian and relief projects carried out by the aid agency to support the medical sector and assist low-income patients suffering from eye diseases in various countries.
RIYADH: Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Saudi minister of culture and chairman of the Heritage Preservation Society, has announced the success of including the Simsimiyya musical instrument in UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list.
Saudi Arabia supported on Wednesday an Egyptian request to inscribe the Simsimiyya on UNESCO’s list during the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Simsimiyya is part of Saudi culture in coastal towns, and is used to play traditional music at weddings and festivals alongside songs narrating stories of sailors and social life near the sea, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Simsimiyya, which is made from a wooden box or bowl lyre with strings, is also famous in Egypt.
It is the latest Saudi cultural element to be added to UNESCO’s intangible heritage list. Other elements were Saudi Khawlani coffee beans, the art of engraving on metals, the Harees dish, Arabic calligraphy, and the palm tree.
Simsimiyya has passed down through the generations in Saudi Arabia and become part of the Kingdom’s artistic identity and collective memory, and is still played at cultural and social events, SPA reported.
RIYADH: The Saudi Royal Commission for AlUla announced the birth of a rare litter of three Arabian leopard cubs on Wednesday as part of Saudi Arabia’s effort to protect endangered species.
The triplets, two males and one female, were born at RCU’s Arabian Leopard Breeding Center this summer, which is sponsored by the Arabian Leopard Fund.
This is the third documented birth of the Arabian leopard in 30 years, and the first in Saudi captivity, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The RCU’s breeding center has been at the forefront of preserving this critically endangered species of big cats.
One of the center’s missions is to protect and safeguard 30 percent of land and sea habitats for species as part of the Saudi Green Initiative.
The mother of the Arabian leopard triplets, Ward, is six years old, and their father, Baher, is 13.
Baher was brought to RCU’s center in December 2023 as part of a regional exchange program to enhance the genetic diversity of the Arabian leopard breed.
The triplets were vaccinated and underwent medical examinations to determine their gender, SPA reported.
Experts at the RCU’s center said that the two males were showing active behaviors through playing and climbing rocks, while the female appeared calmer and attached to the mother.
The three of them are expected to stay together with their mother for 18 months.
The RCU’s breeding center is currently sponsoring the care of 32 leopards.
In 2024, the center saw the birth of five leopards, following seven births in 2023.
