Saudi Relief Programs for the Afflicted

The Saudi Relief Programs for the Afflicted are programs and activities provided by the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to aid those in need, including refugees, displaced persons, visitors, and others. These programs are established and overseen by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief), which is an international center founded by the directive of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, to serve as a specialized entity for humanitarian activities and relief efforts.

The center's operations began in May 2015, diversifying its activities to encompass the following sectors: relief security, sheltering, camp management, protection, education, early recovery, water and sanitation, nutrition, health, humanitarian cooperation support, emergency telecommunications, and logistic services.

KSRelief aims to serve those in need and assist the afflicted worldwide. It achieves this through precise monitoring and rapid, modern means of transportation. The center collaborates with United Nations organizations, as well as reputable international and local non-profit organizations in the countries in need.

The center seeks to continue the Kingdom's approach of assisting those in need everywhere. It provides aid free from any non-humanitarian agendas, consults and coordinates with trusted international organizations, applies global standards in relief efforts, unifies the efforts of relief agencies in the Kingdom, utilizes workers and volunteers, provides assistance, and ensures that aid reaches those in need without being exploited for other purposes.

The Kingdom is one of the top ten countries in the world in terms of providing material assistance. It offers grants and concessional loans to those in need. This material assistance varies and includes cash or in-kind contributions, provided as charitable and humanitarian grants, as well as concessional loans to encourage development. KSRelief has established the Saudi Aid Platform to document this assistance. According to the platform's statistics in May 2024, the total assistance provided by the Kingdom amounted to SAR484.28 billion, equivalent to USD129.14 billion. Egypt receives the highest amount of aid, followed by Yemen, then Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, and Palestine.

The percentage of refugees within the Kingdom reaches 5.5 percent of its total population. The Kingdom supports refugees by facilitating their living conditions across various regions of the country and providing them with opportunities for free medical treatment, work, and education in government schools.

According to the Saudi Aid for Refugees and IDPs website, overseen by KSRelief, the Kingdom has spent approximately USD253,712 million in 2023 to assist refugees. Among the prominent sectors that were active in assisting refugees are the following: The General Directorate of Passports, health, and education.

As of May 2024, KSRelief had implemented 627 volunteer programs, benefiting 1,634,470 people in forty-two countries. The latest program, according to the website, is the Saudi Hayat Volunteer Program to assist those affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. The program offered volunteering opportunities for specialists in neurosurgery, pediatric surgery, orthopedics, nursing, anesthesia, emergency medical technicians, the College of Language and Translation (Turkish language), and logistics. The program aims to empower individuals to convey the Kingdom's humanitarian message to various countries around the world. It focuses on training volunteers for fieldwork by collaborating with Saudi experts in the same field, alleviating the effects of the earthquake on those affected, and providing emergency and medical services to those in need. In addition to other programs, such as the Saudi Noor Voluntary Project to Combat Blindness— in both Burkina Faso and the Republic of Ethiopia, the Volunteer Medical Program for Specialized Surgeries—Republic of Yemen, and the Voluntary Medical Campaign for Adult Endocrine Surgery in Morocco.

KSRelief offers several specialized projects to assist refugees, including:

The program aims to rehabilitate children affected by the Yemeni war by integrating them into society and schools, and monitoring their progress. It also provides psychological and social support, along with training courses for the children and their families, to help them return to a normal childhood.

Project 'Masam' aims to clear Yemeni lands of mines to enhance security in Yemeni territories by clearing landmines and supporting Yemeni families in addressing the humanitarian crises resulting from their spread.

KSRelief provides financial support to prosthetic limb centers that offer healthcare to individuals who have suffered amputations due to the indiscriminate planting of landmines by Houthi militias. The initiative aims to provide high-quality prosthetic limbs, train local professionals in prosthetic technology, and rehabilitate patients for productivity, work capabilities, and return to normal life.