King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center and Taawon (Welfare Association) sign two agreements to support orphans in Gaza and vulnerable farming families
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) and Taawon (Welfare Association) signed two agreements in Riyadh on Sunday, with a combined value of approximately USD 2 million, to support orphaned children and affected farming families in the Gaza Strip.
The agreements bring together an urgent humanitarian response with efforts to strengthen the foundations for longer-term recovery and resilience.
The agreements were signed on behalf of Taawon by its Director General, Dr. Tareq Emtairah, and on behalf of KSrelief by Assistant Supervisor General for Operations and Programs Ahmed Bin Ali Al Baiz. The signing ceremony was attended by Taawon’s Chairman of the Board Dr. Nabil Qaddumi and Director of Institutional Fundraising Manager Hana Al Aruri.
The agreements include USD 1.5 million for the Gaza Orphans Care Project under Taawon’s Noor Program, and funding for a project supporting the most vulnerable farming families in the Gaza Strip.
The first agreement will support 915 orphaned children across all governorates of the Gaza Strip through Taawon’s Noor Program. The program aims to provide comprehensive care addressing the children’s living, psychological, social and educational needs.
The project combines essential humanitarian assistance, including food and seasonal clothing, with psychosocial support, individual and group activities, and awareness sessions for foster families and caregivers. It will also provide educational support, remedial education to address learning loss, school supplies, school uniforms, and educational and enrichment activities.
The project will be implemented over one year as part of the Noor Program’s long-term vision of accompanying and supporting orphaned children over the longer term. This will help them overcome the effects of loss and trauma, continue their education and build more stable and independent futures.
The second agreement concerns a project supporting the most vulnerable farming families in the Gaza Strip, to be implemented over 12 months.
The project will support affected families and enable farmers to resume their agricultural activities through the rehabilitation and preparation of 75,000 square meters of open agricultural land. It will also provide irrigation networks, fertilizers, seeds, seedlings and other essential production inputs.
The project includes training and agricultural extension programs to improve farming practices, the employment of 30 agricultural workers in field activities, and support for collective marketing through the formation of agricultural groups and the development of their capacities.
The project responds to the significant decline in Gaza’s agricultural sector as a result of the extensive damage to agricultural land, production infrastructure and supply chains. This has led to the loss of sources of income and reduced the ability to produce food locally.
The project goes beyond rehabilitating agricultural land. It seeks to help families restore their economic and productive activities, strengthen their capacity for self-reliance and contribute to local food security.
Eng. Ahmed bin Ali Al-Baiz, Assistant Supervisor General for Operations and Programs at the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), stated:
“These two agreements reflect KSrelief’s dedication and continued efforts to respond to humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip through interventions that combine protection and direct care with support for livelihoods and recovery. Caring for orphaned children and supporting productive families represent two complementary pathways to strengthening community resilience and supporting recovery from the effects of the crisis.”
Dr. Nabil Qaddumi stated: “We are proud of this partnership with KSrelief, which comes at a time when our people in Gaza need a response that does not stop at meeting immediate needs, but also protects people and helps them restore the foundations of their lives. Caring for a child who has lost their provider and helping a family return to its land and source of livelihood are investments in the Palestinian community’s ability to endure, recover and build its future.”
Dr. Tareq Emtairah stated: “In Gaza, humanitarian needs are deeply interconnected. The loss of a provider, disruption to education, psychological pressure and the loss of sources of income are all challenges facing the same family. Through these two agreements, we are working with KSrelief to provide a practical and integrated response: protecting children and supporting their development and education, while restoring families’ opportunities to work, produce and become self-reliant. This partnership translates support into tangible and sustainable impact in people’s lives.”
Dr. Emtairah added “The Noor Program is based on a long-term commitment to orphaned children, while the agricultural project invests in both land and people. In both cases, our objective is not to provide temporary assistance, but to empower people to restore their ability to build their own futures.”
The two agreements form part of Taawon’s efforts to strengthen its partnerships with Arab and international institutions in support of humanitarian response and early recovery in the Gaza Strip. The programs are based on actual needs and will be implemented in cooperation with specialized Palestinian institutions, using monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure quality implementation and effective impact.
About the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre
The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre is an international organization specializing in humanitarian and relief operations. It was established in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to provide humanitarian and relief assistance to communities affected by crises and in need around the world.
The Centre implements its interventions and programs in cooperation with local and international partners across several sectors, including food security, health, education, protection, water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter, and livelihood support. Its work contributes to responding to humanitarian needs and strengthening the capacity of affected communities to recover.
About Taawon
Taawon is a leading Palestinian non-profit civil society organization established in 1983. It works in the fields of education, culture, community development and humanitarian relief, with the aim of empowering Palestinian communities and preserving their identity in Palestine and in refugee camps in Lebanon.
About the “Noor” Program
“Noor” is a comprehensive program launched by Taawon in partnership with the Bank of Palestine Group to care for and empower 20,000 orphaned children in the Gaza Strip through a long-term development vision extending until they reach adulthood.
The program provides an integrated range of services covering humanitarian needs, healthcare, psychosocial support and protection, social care and education. Its aim is to enable children to live with dignity, strengthen their capacity for self-reliance and support their active participation in their communities, in cooperation with a network of specialised Palestinian institutions.
