Turkey to hand over schoolbags and stationery items to 3,000 school children in Jaffna

The Government of the Republic of Turkey will hand over school bags and stationery items to 3,000 school children in Jaffna on 22 April. The event will be held at the Velanai Central College, Jaffna from 9:30 a.m. onwards. This project was initiated by State Minister of Child Affairs Vijayakala Maheswaran and is financed by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), the official aid agency of Turkey.

The Turkish Ambassadorto Sri Lanka Tunca Özçuhadar said, “This donation may be a small drop in the ocean, but it can have a remarkable impact on the children’s enthusiasm to study.” This event also reflects the Turkish people’s solidarity with the children of Sri Lanka as it coincides with the ‘April 23, Sovereignty and Children’s Day’ in Turkey.

Turkey has been providing humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka for more than a decade. In 2006, Turkey funded a large-scale housing project in Midigama, Matara where 450 houses were built for the victims of the devastating Tsunami. In 2015, Turkey helped build the ‘Sri Lanka- Turkey Friendship Village’ with 100 houses for the IDPs in Mannar. Later, in 2016, Turkey distributed tents, blankets and solar powered lamps to those who were affected by the floods in the Western province. Turkey also provided fishing boats, nets and water pumps to the fishermen and farmers in Trincomalee in 2016.