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to all social benefits and economic opportunities, the needy among such groups have benefitted from some Government and NGO assistance.

15. As will be shown in later chapters, most Kuwaiti NGOs support programs both in aLoutside Kuwait. There are only three Kuwaiti NGOs which fire totally outward oriented. Again, although there is no quantifiable evidence, the impression from the NGO list provided by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, is that a large part of private aid supports development efforts in developing countries. This trend is expected to be maintained even if some shift is made in support of lower income groups in KuwaiL

# H. THE NGOs IN **KUWAIT**

# Introduction

16. The beginning of zakat giving in Kuwait dates from 1752 when cattle zakat was levied on the nomads. Cattle zakat was an important source of income to the Kuwaiti rulers. The zakat collector, known as "Al- Muzakki" or the "Purifier" had the responsibility of collecting zakat from the nomads over a period of from two to three months. The assessment of the amount of zakat was, however, left to the discretion of the itomads.

17. Beginning in 1896, a more organized revenue system, including the establishment of ti'e Customs Administration, was introduced. In addition to catie zakat, fees were imposed on pearling, fish and shrimp, real estate, and on caravans transiting through Kuwait. It is possible that some fees were also levied on agriculture. With the exception of cattle zakat, which continued to be imposed by the ruler, other zakat giving was left to the discretion of its citizens. In December 1953, after the discovery of oil, the Kuwaiti government cancelled a large number of custom duties and taxes, as well as the cattle zakaL 18. There is no documentation of private aid giving following the abolition of cattle zakat. However, as early as 1952, a private social welfare organization known as "Society for Guidance" was established, later to be renamed the Social Reform Society. The origins of privately organized external giving, however, can be traced back to 1957 when the "Peoples Committee for Collection of Contributions" was established in response to the Algerian war. One might point out here that while privately organized efforts to assist a developing country commenced in 1957, it was not until Kuwait's independence, that is 1961, that the Govemment established the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) to channel its official development assistance. Similar to private flows, the Arab countries were also the first to benefit from KFAED assistance. A similar pattem between govemment and non-governmental aid also emerges with regard to diversification of aid delivery to countries outside the Arab region.

## Profile

19. Most NGOs that are in operation today were established following the issuance in 1962 of Law #24 (amended in 1965) under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor. However, since not all organized groups that contribute private aid flows to developing countries are registered with this Ministry, such organizations can be grouped under the following five broad categories: (a) those registered under Law #24; (b) those created under a special "Amiri" decree;<sup>t</sup> a Decree issued by the Amir. Ruler of KuwaiL