ANKARA
Operating with 60 offices in 58 countries, the Turkish state aid agency will host fast-breaking meals for thousands of people in 150 cities and distribute food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The government-run Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) is responsible for implementing the country’s developmental cooperation policies overseas.
Since it was founded 26 years ago, TIKA has carried out projects in a wide range of areas, such as education, health, infrastructure, and cultural heritage preservation in many regions of the world, from the Balkans to the Middle East, and Africa to Latin America.
TIKA, which provides services to the needy, terror victims, and orphans regardless of language, religion and race, will host iftars in the Balkans -- Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo, Romania, Macedonia, Hungary, Moldova, Croatia, Ukraine, and Slovenia -- as well as distribute food packages to needy families.
In the Middle East and Africa, TIKA will give food aid and host iftars for war and terrorism victim, particularly in Palestine, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, and Libya.
In Africa, aid will be given and fast-breaking events will be carried out in Namibia, Chad, Djibouti, Lebanon, Yemen, Kenya, Egypt, Mozambique, Sudan, and other countries.
Food aid for 5,000 families in Iraq
TIKA will distribute food packages to over 5,000 Iraqi families and host iftars for over 5,000 people in the cities of Kirkuk, Mosul and Baghdad.
In Central Asia, TIKA will help people in Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan as part of its Ramadan aid activities.
The agency will step up its activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan as well.
TIKA will also organize Ramadan events in countries where Muslims are a minority, including South Korea, Japan, Laos, Vietnam, Chile, Mexico, Colombia, Italy, and Poland.
13,500 food packages for 27 Palestinian refugee camps
Turkey aims to feed 200,000 Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip during the holy month of Ramadan. The distribution of 12,000 food packages to benefit 100,000 people and the providing of hot meals to 1,000 families daily are among the emergency aid projects in Gaza.
A total of $1 million in humanitarian aid -- including food and medical aid -- will be disbursed during the month of Ramadan in Gaza via TIKA’s office in Ramallah.
TIKA will also distribute a total of 13,500 packages of food aid throughout 27 refugee camps in Palestine, while 1,000 food packages will be given to refugee camps and orphan families in Jerusalem.
In addition, 700 families in Jerusalem will shop from 50 shops in the city’s historic district using TIKA coupons. TIKA will thus assist tradespeople in the old town, and at the same time support needy families of Jerusalem shop to satisfy their own needs.
Aid to Rohingya continues
TIKA will continue to provide humanitarian aid for the Muslim Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, and aims to deliver hot meals for iftar for 2.1 million people during the holy month.
Other packages for food and personal care will be delivered to Rohingya Muslims both in Bangladesh and in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state, while iftar programs will be hosted for them and the local people.
TIKA will also provide health screening for children, and plans to construct new shelters for 180 families in need in camps in Bangladesh.
Reporting by Zuhal Demirci:Writing by Kubra Chohan
