RIYADH — The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), the charity arm of Saudi Arabia, signed on Tuesday an agreement with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to provide educational services for children as well as to help them combat the coronavirus pandemic in the country. The agreement will benefit 18,250 children at an estimated cost of $619,980, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday citing a statement from KSrelief. The agreement was signed by KSrelief's assistant general supervisor for operations and programs, Ahmed bin Ali Al-Beez, and UNICEF's representative in the Gulf, Eltayeb Adam at KSrelief's headquarters in Riyadh. Speaking on the occasion, Hana Omar, director of the community support department at KSrelief, said the center is keen on supporting education in affected countries, whether in times of humanitarian crises or difficult economic situations or currently with the spread of COVID-19." He also said that the agreement aims to support the educational process in Somalia and help children continue their education as education is the pillar of sustainable development. For his part, Adam said the agreement "will help provide a suitable environment for children to continue their education and obtain psychological support and developmental and social services." He thanked Saudi Arabia for its assistance to children and their families worldwide, especially in low-income countries that are facing difficult humanitarian conditions, such as Somalia. The agreement aims to support the education ministry in Somalia to continue the educational process remotely due to the coronavirus situations, in addition to organizing awareness campaigns for students, educational staff, and parents through distance learning, and how to make use of the available means (audio and visual). The agreement stipulates the organization of awareness campaigns for children and staff to follow precautionary measures upon their return to their schools. It also calls for providing hygiene tools and safe drinking water for students, disinfecting school infrastructure, furniture, and educational supplies to ensure the safe return to schools, ensuring that children affected by the coronavirus pandemic receive psychological and social support. This agreement comes within the efforts exerted by Saudi Arabia under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman to stand with brotherly and friendly countries to confront the coronavirus pandemic and mitigate its negative effects.
