Camp As Sayliyah, QATAR –
U.S. Army Soldiers, civilian contractors, several government agencies, and non-government organizations provided humanitarian relief to Afghan evacuees during the Aug. 31 drawdown of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar, has been set up as a temporary safe haven for Afghan evacuees.
The U.S. Army established necessary shelters, medical facilities, dining areas, and showers, for evacuees at CAS. They, along with civilian contractors and NGO’s, began setting up locations for teams to give out necessary hygiene products and clothing to evacuees. The goal was to make their temporary stay easy and create an effortless transition to their final destination.
One organization that helped provide products to evacuees was Spirit of America. SoA is a privately funded organization that was founded in 2003 and is dedicated to help people during global crises.
“While the military is a giant organization that can handle operations at scale, there are still some operations that we are not wholly resourced for, “ said Col. David Key, the commander for the 3rd Division Sustainment Brigade “Non-Governmental Organizations, like Spirit of America, can bridge the gap and provide for our Afghan guests support items that are not readily available through the military system.”
SoA has received over $300,000, in donations, to help Afghan evacuees. During the recent care package giveaway the SoA prepared 2,100 packages, which Soldiers helped move and distribute to Afghan families. The items were individually packaged and separated for babies, children, women, and men.
“Through the donations of food, clothes and sundry items, our Afghan population flourished at Camp As Sayliyah,” said Key.