Turkish aid agency TIKA brings joy of Ramadan to dozens of countries

Turkey's state-run charity brought the joy of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan by delivering aid to around 700,000 people in 66 countries around the globe.

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) distributed 106,285 aid packages during the month, according to information obtained by Anadolu Agency correspondents.

The charity also delivered food aid to around 525,000 people globally, while nearly 134,000 people received hygiene aid packages.

Meanwhile, in its efforts to deliver aid to all groups affected by the coronavirus pandemic in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus during Ramadan, TIKA delivered approximately 25 tons of foodstuffs to 1,000 needy families in the country's capital Lefkosa as well as Girne, Magusa, Lefke and Guzelyurt provinces.

The packages included products such as milk, dates, tea and coffee.

HELP IN AFRICAN COUNTRIES

The aid agency provided relief to 700 families in the poorest regions of the Southern African country of Lesotho during Ramadan.

Amid the ongoing threat of the coronavirus, TIKA distributed disinfectants, gloves and masks in Lesotho as part of Turkey's support to countries around the world to help them fight the pandemic.

In Somali, some 500 families who had to leave their homes behind in the capital Mogadishu to live in camps in the Garasbaaley region to the west received food packages including rice, flour, pasta, sugar and cooking oil in Ramadan.

Also, in Ethiopia, 17 tons of food packages were delivered to more than 2,000 people living in camps which host displaced persons in the capital city of Addis Ababa and Sululta city in the Oromia region. During Ramadan, 50 tons of food aid was distributed to Ethiopians in need.

Abdella Siraj, a father of five and beneficiary of the project, said the food parcels distributed by TİKA helped them breathe a sigh of relief during the holy month.

Moreover, in the West African country of Guinea, the agency provided food aid to 1,000 needy families who were adversely affected by COVID-19.

The agency also distributed 34 tons of foodstuffs to 2,000 needy families of Eritrean refugees at the Shagarab camp located in Kassala state in eastern Sudan.

RELIEF IN ARAB COUNTRIES

As part of its support to the Palestinian people in the areas of health and food during the month of Ramadan, TIKA in cooperation with local institutions distributed aid packages to 7,500 families in need in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is regarded as occupied territory under international law, making all Jewish settlements there illegal.

In the first stage of Ramadan aid distribution, which was carried out in cooperation with the Zakat Organization, which is in charge of collecting zakat donations, or mandatory alms, and the country's Social Development Ministry, food packages were delivered to 3,000 needy families in the West Bank.

TIKA Palestine coordinator Ahmet Refik Çetinkaya said the agency's food assistance target is to reach 40,000 Palestinians.

In Gaza, the charity distributed food packages to 5,060 needy families.

Meanwhile, 1,500 food parcels and 500 shares of meat were distributed to needy families living in different provinces of Yemen before the month of Ramadan.

The agency also distributed 1,500 food parcels and 500 shares of meat to disadvantaged families, especially at women's shelters, in Yemen's temporary capital city of Aden as well as in Lahij and Dhale provinces.

In Iraq, TIKA distributed food packages to 5,000 needy families in Mosul, Tal Afar, Diyala and Saladin provinces during the Muslim holy month.

TIKA IN ASIA

The ongoing lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus has deprived a large number of daily wage workers of their source of income across the globe.

In Pakistan, the aid body provided 70 tons of foodstuffs to 22,500 needy families in Ramadan.

As part of traditional Ramadan events organized by TIKA every year in the Philippines, 600 food packages were distributed to families in need in Dungguan village in Datu Montawal municipality on Mindanao island in Maguindanao province, where Muslims live extensively.

During the Muslim holy month, TIKA also provided food aid parcels which also included 10 masks and antiseptics to 7,000 families in Kyrgyzstan to support the Central Asian country's fight against the coronavirus outbreak.

TIKA did not leave Rohingya Muslims aside during Ramadan. A total of 5,000 aid packages of basic foodstuffs were distributed to Rohingya refugees who live in camps in Bangladesh.

The agency continues to carry out many humanitarian activities in these camps without interruption.

After distributing 5,000 cleaning materials at the beginning of Ramadan, TIKA last week also distributed another 5,000 food boxes equaling 70 tons, including 10 types of food ingredients, to those in need. The charity's employees handed over the parcels personally to the homes of the elderly and sick.

In Georgia, the charity distributed 40 tons of food aid to 2,500 families living in the Ahiska, Adjara, Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Imereti and Samegrelo regions of the country.

EUROPE, SOUTH AMERICA

Many families are going through a tough time in Spain due to an economic crisis caused by the virus pandemic.

TIKA distributed food packages to some 100 families in Granada in cooperation with the Granada Mosque Foundation every Friday throughout the fasting month.

The packages contained rice, flour, pasta, sugar and cooking oil.

There are nearly two million Muslims in Spain, and at least 36,000 of them reside in Granada.

In Spain, one of the hardest-hit countries in Europe by the virus, 28,752 people have lost their lives so far, while the number of cases had reached 235,772 as of Sunday, according to its health authorities.

Additionally, TIKA handed over aid packages consisting of food and hygiene materials to 300 families in Colombia's northern city of Maicao and 150 families in the Santa Cruz region of Bolivia.

The number of COVID-19 infections in Colombia has reached 21,175, while the country has registered 727 fatalities so far.

In Bolivia, the number of confirmed cases is 5,915 with 240 deaths.

Since first appearing in Wuhan, China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 188 countries and regions.

The US, Russia, Brazil and several European countries are currently the hardest hit.

The pandemic has killed more than 345,000 people worldwide, with over 5.41 million confirmed cases, while recoveries number around 2.17 million, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University of the US.