Turkey continues to extend helping hand to the world
Turkish charities have reached out to people in need all around the world. During Ramadan, many people in Pakistan were able to enjoy iftar (fast-breaking meal) with aid sent from Turkey.
Turkish charities have reached out to people in need all around the world. During Ramadan, many people in Pakistan were able to enjoy iftar (fast-breaking meal) with aid sent from Turkey.
In the holy month of Ramadan, Turkish organizations have not only reached out to countries in Africa, which are suffering from the worst drought in half a century, but also to many other people in need around the world.

Charities in Turkey took the donations of beneficent Turks to people in need all around the world. During the month of Ramadan, many people in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Haiti, Sudan and Kyrgyzstan broke their fast with aid sent from Turkey.

The Turkish charity Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There) offered aid packages to Uganda, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and 55 other countries around the world, as well as provided aid to thousands of people across Turkey. Besides these Ramadan aid packages, the foundation provided hot food to people in iftar (fast-breaking dinner) tents; for people who could not come to the tents, hot food was delivered to their door.

People in need will be given clothes and shoes to help them enjoy Eid al-Fitr, a three-day religious festival that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. In addition, students will be provided with educational packets to assist them in school.

The foundation also sent food aid to Bangladesh, where people have suffered from the latest floods, helping 1,600 people in Tangail province and 430 in Bogra province. Bangladeshi President Motahar Hossain said the Turks arrived first in these difficult times for the Bengali people and thanked the foundation.

The Humanitarian Aid Foundation (İHH) branch in Sakarya's Akyazı district joined the efforts by sending 200 tons of food to Africa by ship. The district raised the funds for the 200 tons of food in its first three days as part of the İHH's campaign “Emergency Food Aid to Somalia.”

The Turkish Red Crescent Society (Kızılay), which has been coordinating its efforts with Somali authorities, has asked the Somali government for an area of land measuring between 250,000 and 400,000 square meters. Kızılay intends to set up a tent city with 2,000 tents and the capacity to accommodate 12,000 people. The charity hopes to move Somalis currently living in makeshift camps to this tent city.

Entering the international field with the tsunami that hit Indonesia in 2004 and the Pakistan earthquake, Kimse Yok Mu's mission continued with humanitarian aid campaigns organized for Palestine-Lebanon, Peru, Bangladesh, Sudan-Darfur, Georgia-Ossetia, Myanmar, China, Gaza and Haiti. The association also reached out to people from 60 countries to distribute the charity donated by Turks during Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha (the Feast of the Sacrifice). Kimse Yok Mu accelerated its branching and networking efforts in 2006. Opening offices in the larger cities of Anatolia, the association now has branches in 28 cities. This number is expected to increase further in the near future.

2011-08-28

Today's Zaman  İstanbul