TİKA's Erenler Sofrası Keeps On Spreading Joy to Needy People in Kyrgyzstan

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) handed out food aid to 1,000 needy families in cooperation with the Kyrgyzstan Ministry of Health and Social Development.

TİKA delivered 1,000 aid packages to the Kyrgyzstan Ministry of Health and Social Development, which included basic food supplies such as date, pasta, oil, flour, rice, tea and sugar, as well as masks and antiseptics. Having received the aid packages, the Ministry organized an official ceremony and a handover program in the District Governorship of Pervomay in Bishkek, which was attended by the citizens in need.

Yekta Kamil Noyan, Undersecretary and the Acting Ambassador of Turkey in Bishkek, made a speech during the ceremony, stating that they would be providing 10 thousand packages of food aid in Kyrgyzstan during Ramadan through TİKA and Turkey Diyanet Foundation (TDV). Noyan recorded that they were delighted to share the supplies coming from Turkey with their brothers and sisters in Kyrgyzstan, and expressed his gratitude towards everyone who took part in distributing TİKA's aid packages.

Aliza Soltonbekova, First Deputy Minister of Health and Social Development, said that TİKA had provided 1,000 packages of food aid during Ramadan this year. Soltonbekova stated that more than 100,000 people were in need in the country, and the social relief that has been provided for the needy families has been insufficient due to the increase in food prices. Having expressed her satisfaction regarding this aid during the time of fruitful Ramadan, Soltonbekova said: "I'd like to thank the organizations that provided the aid. May Allah accept the fasting and the good intentions of all Muslims. Ramadan Mubarak."

TİKA's "Erenler Sofrası" concept was explained at the ceremony

In the distribution area, posters were put with the words of Yunus Emre, "Come, let us all be friends for once, let us make life easy on us, let us love and be loved, the earth shall be left to no one"; the words of Ahi Evran, "Keep your hand, table, door open"; and the words of Haji Bektash Veli, "Let's be one, united, great and strong", both in Turkish and Russian.

Having explained one by one the text on the posters due to TİKA's concept this year, TİKA’s Bishkek Coordinator Osman Usta stated that the year 2021 was declared by the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey as the “Year of Yunus Emre and Turkish Language”, the “Year of Haji Bektash Veli” and the “Year of Ahi Evran”. Usta stated that TİKA chose the "Erenler Sofrası" as their concept in the memory of the death anniversary of the historic figures Yunus Emre, Haji Bektash Veli and Ahi Evran.

Having expressed that he was delighted to share the support of Turkish people with the people of Kyrgyzstan, Usta said that as TİKA, they would be sharing the support of Turkish people during Ramadan in 87 countries around the world, without discrimination of any kind as to religion, language or race. TİKA, which will distribute 3,000 food packages in Ramadan, had provided food aid of 1,350 packages to the Kyrgyz Red Crescent yesterday.