Turkish charity aids 1,500 Syrian children

ANKARA

A charity run by Turkey’s top religious authority extends helping hand to nearly 1,500 Syrian children at camps dedicated to orphans.

The Turkiye Diyanet Foundation (TDV) tries to meet all kinds of needs of children staying in four orphan camps, and wants to make them happy by visiting them frequently, Ihsan Acik, the deputy chairman of the board of trustees of the TDV, told Anadolu Agency.

Acik pointed out that being a child in Syria is "very difficult."

"A candy, a small toy or a little smile they look for is enough to make them happy and forget all the troubles they have experienced," he said.

The war in Syria took away the dreams of children and they were forced to adapt to the cold and sufferings, Acik lamented.

"Orphans who lost their parents in the war and who are in need of love and attention hold tightly and never leave the hand of compassion reaching them. While we try to share their suffering, we also try to make them forget their pain," he added.

Emphasizing that TDV provides food, clothing, accommodation, education and religious services to war-torn families, Acik said they are also making efforts for children to "dream again" and be happy.

"In our aid distribution, we definitely take into account the children and deliver small gifts -- which we provide with the support of our donors -- to them. Instead of toys made of mud, we organize toy campaigns and let the children play with the toys sent by their brothers and sisters from Turkey."

Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN estimates.

*Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev