Turkish agency gives iftar meal to orphans across world

By Ayse Sensoy Boztepe

ANKARA (AA) - A Turkish aid agency has distributed iftar (fast-breaking) meals to orphans both at home and abroad on occasion of the World Orphans Day.

The Turkish Red Crescent, which holds various activities every year on the 15th day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan that is observed as the World Orphans Day, delivered iftar meals cooked in 26 soup kitchens across Turkey.

It also provided iftar meals to 4,482 orphans abroad, including in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Indonesia, Palestine, South Sudan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Senegal, Somalia, and Sudan.

There are over 140 million orphans in the 2.2 billion child population in the world. One-third of orphans in the whole world are in Syria, Iraq, East Turkistan, Somalia, Mali, Sudan, Palestine, Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Yemen, Myanmar, and Algeria.

In this regard, the Turkish Red Crescent, which carries out special activities for children and orphans as part of humanitarian aid activities, also builds complexes to meet all their needs from schools to playgrounds.

The agency also provides food, clothing and stationery to children. It supplies the necessary equipment for extracurricular activities such as arts and sports that contribute to the personal development of children.

*Writing by Sena Guler