KRCS did not stop providing aid and assistance to citizens and expatriates in Kuwait throughout the Iraqi invasion period, by transporting the wounded, injured and dead to the hospitals, despite the difficulties faced by KRCS on the hands of the Iraqi soldiers.
KRCS premises was established in Mubarak Al Kabeer Hospital, which received volunteers who played a great role during this period, despite the detention of six members of the temporary board of directors for 26 days and interrogating them, then dissolving KRCS.
KRCS’s looked forward to the Kingdom of Bahrain, following the Bahraini cabinet’s approval of KRCS to host its temporary headquarters, although several countries offered to provide premises to KRCS, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
During its presence in Bahrain, KRCS accomplished numerous achievements, which would not have been completed if it was not for the stand of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s government and people next to Kuwait, as all matters relevant to the needs of Kuwaiti committees, including KRCS, enjoyed exempting the relief materials dispatched to Kuwait from any custom duties, while clubs opened their stores to store foodstuff and medical materials.
KRCS laid down an action plan suitable with the conditions which the State of Kuwait was undergoing in order to face the current and future stages with determination, will and action. Volunteers were trained by organizing training courses in the relief field and organizing courses for specialized doctors and others in the civil defense.
Upon the entry of the relief aids to Kuwait in 28 February 1991, the volunteers of KRCS distributed them to citizens and expatriates and contributed in removing bodies from the streets and transferring them to the hospitals, then bury them. Meanwhile, other volunteers registered the missing, prisoners and martyrs until the National Committee for Prisoners and Missing Persons Affairs was established.
KRCS’s volunteers were keen to assist the refugees in Al Abdali’s first camp, where KRCS has received in 7 March 1991 a number of Kuwaiti detainees who were released, amounting to 1200 detainees with members of the Kuwaiti army. KRCS cooperated with several bodies in laying down a perception for Al Abdali 2nd Camp, to which it was transferred instead of the 1st camp in April 1991 to receive 14 thousand refugees.
KRCS’s board of directors was keen to participate in international conferences concerned with the Kuwaiti issue, refute the Iraqi mistaken facts on the prisoners of war and missing persons, and the necessity of applying Geneva’s four treaties and try war criminals. The first of these international meetings at that time was the meeting of the executive office of the International Association of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva in 22 October 1990, where a memorandum was submitted under the name of Kuwait about the traffic internal conditions and the necessity of obtaining information about the missing persons according to the international laws.
KRCS was keen to address messages to a number of national societies to provide the required material support to KRCS in order to meet the conditions which Kuwait was undergoing. It has also addressed repeated messages to the International Committee of the Red Cross for the Association of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in order to urge them to fulfil the needs of the Kuwaiti people in their occupied lands.
Opening of five schools, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.
The Society opened five schools in the Kurdistan region in Iraq which were set up for displaced Iraqi students located in the city of Erbil, capital of the Iraqi Kurdistan region. This was funded by the Kuwait Red Crescent Society as part of the campaign “Kuwait next to you.”
It also worked to provide school supplies for the displaced, in addition to distributing approximately 20,000 school bags and office supplies to the displaced students.
The first school opened in the Kurdistan region as “the first Kuwait School” in the province of Erbil, and the capacity of this school can accommodate about 500 students and children who are displaced.
This initiative by Kuwait accomplished its aims to provide education and supplies in the region and within the desire time frame. The interest of the State of Kuwait in the educational aspect comes out of its keenness to ensure the educational process of those displaced is not delayed or unobtained.
Four ambulances and medical equipment delivered, Iraq
As part of the “Kuwait next to you” campaign Kuwait has delivered four ambulances and medical equipment worth $ 1.8 million. This initiative comes as part of Kuwait’s continued support for the humanitarian necessities in the provinces liberated from the so-called Islamic State (IS).
This grant was provided by the Association to the provinces of Anbar, Nineveh, Kirkuk and Salah al-Din and includes in addition to ambulances advanced medical devices.
The initiative reflects the fraternal cohesion that Iraq touched from Kuwait and from His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad, who was eager to provide support to Iraq, via meetings with senior Iraqi officials or through the Kuwait International Conference for the Reconstruction of Iraq.
