Kuwait has participated in the principle of Waqf since its inception as a nation. The inherent and natural inclination of the Kuwaiti people in regards to their devotion to the "good" has driven them to endow some of their properties (as waqf) and to allocate their proceeds to a variety of purposes. Some of these include the construction of Mosques and schools for teaching and memorization of the Holy Quran, as well as providing food and water to the poor and indigents, and washing and preparing the deceased for burial.
Those awqaf of the past have presented valuable services to the community in the areas referred to. However, its role has been reduced as a result of the actions taken by the State to assume all needs of the citizens, and to marginalize the role of the waqf. A lot of bodies have been active in an attempt to fill the void created by the absence of Waqf from the arena of societal work.
In the stage of reconstruction and construction that followed the liberation of Kuwait from the Iraqi aggression, serious attempts have been made with the aim of recovering the active role of Waqf in the service of social progress, advancement and renaissance. An effort has also been exerted to organize the public participation in overseeing its affairs.
Those attempts have been crystallized in the creation of the Kuwait Awqaf Public Foundation which has been entrusted by the Decree of its establishment to practice the call for waqf and to conduct all matters related to its affairs. These matters include the management of its assets and investment, spending their proceeds within the limits of the conditions laid by the Donors. These conditions must be met in order to achieve the legitimate objectives of the Waqf from the civil, cultural and societal points of view. It is also essential in order to to alleviate the burden on the needy persons in the community.
