RIYADH — The total amount of donations in cash collected by the Saudi popular campaign from all over the Kingdom in order to help the Syrian people crossed SR182 million by 10 p.m. on Wednesday.
The response of the Saudi people from all walks of life to the campaign, called ‘Together for Syria’s Relief’ is overwhelming, according to Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, the general supervisor of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center.
The telethon, covered live on Saudi television channel 1, will conclude on Thursday evening.
The campaign, ordered by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman to alleviate the suffering of Syrians displaced by war, started on Tuesday evening. The King allocated SR100 million for the campaign. He donated SR20 million of his own money to the campaign, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif donated 10 million, and Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman contributed SR8 million.
Al-Rabeeah said collecting this big amount of money during a short period of time indicates the humanity of the Saudi people and their support for Muslim brethren.
“Donations were limited to money and we did not collect assistance in kind, considering the distance between Saudi Arabia and Syria,” Rabeeah said, adding that they’re communicating with the concerned parties to deliver the donations to refugees.
According to Rabeeah, the campaign is part of the aid and humanitarian programs the Kingdom provides for Syrian refugees.
He added that the popular campaign will contribute to easing the Syrian refugees’ suffering during this winter season.
Taking part in the telethon, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh donated SR100,000. He urged citizens and expatriates to donate whatever they can to help the people of Syria who are in distress.
Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, emir of Makkah and adviser to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has ordered setting up of a committee to collect donations from the region.
Both citizens and expatriates have come forward in huge numbers with generous donations in response to the appeal of emirs and governors of various regions to make the campaign a great success.
While addressing Shorua Council members, President Sheikh Abdullah Al-Asheikh urged them to take an active role in supporting the Syrian brethren affected by the conflict.
The campaign announced that donations can be made via SMS from Saudi Arabia through all the telecom companies. SR10, SR20, or SR30 can be donated through a message of 1, 2, and 3 respectively to the uniform number of 5565. Alternatively, money can be sent through bank transfer to the National Commercial Bank (Al-Ahli Bank) using the account number SA2310000020188888000100.
The King Salman Center urged to send donations to its two special accounts for the purpose: SA5655000000099088000757 at Saudi Fransi Bank and SA9510000022185556000107 at the National Commercial Bank. More details can be had from contacting the toll free number 920008554.
