Written by Managing Editor/ Manal Abu Al-Ela
Our green convoys continue to navigate the ethereal corridors to rescue the world’s afflicted, following the issuance of a royal decree by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, on May 13, 2015, establishing the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief), the first relief center in the Kingdom, headquartered in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
The center transcends not only geopolitical borders, but also religious and ethnic boundaries, with an uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid such as food, water, medicine, shelter, and other logistical assistance. The Green Fleet includes hundreds of doctors and specialists to establish field hospitals to assist the sick and injured anywhere on Earth.
The role of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center may compete with international organizations such as the United Nations, the Red Crescent, and the Red Cross, despite their profound differences in political orientations and agendas.
Cochlear Implants
The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) is one of the world’s leading providers of cochlear implants. It launched a massive volunteer program called “Hearing Saudi Arabia,” which aims to restore hearing to children with hearing loss and disabilities in many countries around the world.
The program has implanted 1,000 cochlear implants in several African countries. The center does not only surgically restore hearing; it also provides speech and language rehabilitation services to the beneficiary children, as well as training families on speech and hearing skills, contributing to the integration of children into society.
The first cochlear implant without anesthesia was performed by a specialized Saudi medical team affiliated with the center, an unprecedented medical and humanitarian achievement worldwide. The operation was performed on a patient in Kenya as part of the “Hearing Saudi Arabia” program.
The medical team’s successes in cochlear implants have continued in many countries. In Kenya, 28 operations were performed, while in Jordan, 40 cochlear implants were performed. In Turkey, 66 cochlear implants were performed in just 20 hours in the city of Reyhanli.
The team also performed 27 successful cochlear implants in Senegal, and the center launched a cochlear implant campaign in cooperation with the “Al-Amin” organization in Tunisia to perform operations for children in need.
Sustainability
The role of this green river is not limited to breathing life into the afflicted lands everywhere; it also works to fertilize these lands for sustainable development. It has built schools to plant the seeds of knowledge in the minds and hearts that have been devastated by wars and conflicts, while providing a livelihood through honest work through long-term sustainable development projects in more than 90 countries around the world, most notably: Yemen, Syria, Sudan, Pakistan, Palestine, and others.
Our beloved Kingdom, under the guidance of our Master, Leader, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman—may God protect him—has dedicated all its tireless efforts to serving all thorny issues around the world and supporting those afflicted by wars, conflicts, and natural disasters. It has allocated air fleets for urgent relief, as well as heavy transport fleets for comprehensive relief and field work. These fleets are stationed in disaster-stricken areas around the world, then deployed in campaigns to cover the largest possible areas, just as regular armies do.
But our green armies have come to you to dry your tears, reassure your hearts, and provide security and safety for your children.
This is what our true religion has commanded us to do, and this is how the banner of monotheism will continue to flutter in people’s hearts until the Day of Judgment.
