QRCS Provides Relief, Health Care for Libyans
Doha / information office / 26 December 2016 / The Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has announced the allocation of $5 Million to provide urgent humanitarian assistance for thousands of Libyan families returning to Sirte, Libya, amid severe conditions across the board.
In a press statement today QRCS said that this support is extended by Qatar Fund for Development (QFD) and will be used to secure the basic needs in relief and health care for six months, as well as water and sanitation for one year. This life-saving aid would help an estimated 79,400 people of the city.
As the crisis erupted, $500,000 had been contributed to the UN's humanitarian appeal on 19 September, seeking to raise $10.7 million for covering the needs of Sirte people over four months (September through December 2016), with a special focus on medical supplies for seven health centers and Ibn Sina Central Hospital.
Over the coming period, $1,325,000 of QFD's contribution would cover medical consumables and equipment, staffing, and operation costs to enable the medical facilities to offer medical services.
Another $650,000 would go to medical convoys to rural areas and underserved areas. $1,061,193 worth of shelter solutions would be provided for homeless families, while drinking water and hygiene kits would be secured for 90,000 people at a cost of $1,519,750.
For accelerated delivery, all the relief items would be procured from Tunisia, to avoid logistical inconveniences. Khalifa bin Jassim Al-Kuwari, General Manager of QFD stated, "This contribution will help the affected population in health care, water and sanitation, and other vital sectors. It is part of the humanitarian strategy adopted by the State of Qatar to alleviate human suffering, as well as QFD's 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan, which had already included the relief of Fallujah and Syria".
Al-Kuwari emphasized the strong and fruitful partnership between QFD and QRCS in numerous projects, building upon the latter's capacity as an internationally recognized humanitarian organization mandated to reach out to crisis zones around the world.
Secretary General of QRCS, Ali bin Hassan Al-Hammadi said, "As a result of the unstable situation in Libya, many aspects of life there have deteriorated. The health facilities lack drugs, supplies, and medics. The water supply system has been damaged, and many people have lost their property and livelihoods".
With the voluntary return to Sirte, it is the duty of QRCS and other peers to act promptly and deliver humanitarian services to the people of the city.