Qatar charity opens community center for Syrian refugees in Turkey

Qatar Charity recently launched a community center in Kogali, Turkey, to provide protection services to Syrian refugees and Turkish citizens at an estimated cost of $ 750,000 and is expected to benefit 14 thousand people.

This came as part of the “QUEST 's initiative” which was launched by the State of Qatar to alleviate the suffering of Syrian refugees, with the support of the Qatar Development Fund and a partnership with the Turkish Red Crescent.

The inaugural ceremony was attended by a number of officials from Qatar Charity, the governor of the Turkish city of Kogali and the mayor and general manager of the Turkish Red Crescent.

 "The community center in Kogali is one of the results of the QUEST initiative and with the support of Qatar Development Fund and Qatar Charity and in a special partnership with the Turkish Red Crescent," said Nasser Al-Mogaiseeb, Relief and International Partnerships manager at Qatar Charity.

He added that the center provides great services for the benefit of Syrian refugees, including child care services, psychosocial support, and education services, as well as economic empowerment and enhancement of the chances of living in Turkey, pointing to the special relations with the Turkish Red Crescent through the implementation of many projects inside Turkey and on both sides of Turkish - Syrian border. Al-Mogaiseeb noted that many projects will be implemented during the coming period.

For his part, Mr. Bayram Salawi, Director of Immigration and Refugee Services of the Turkish Red Crescent thanked the Qatari donators, and Qatar Charity for their support and assistance to Syrian refugees in Turkey, praising the cooperation between Qatar Charity and the Turkish Red Crescent in implementing many charitable projects.

He added that the center, which was opened with the support of Qatar Charity, provides good services to refugees in the fields of education, health, handicrafts and economic empowerment projects to preserve human dignity.

Many services

The center provides many services for the benefits of Syrian refugees, such as psychosocial support and protection services to prevent abuse, neglect and violence against vulnerable groups. The Center also provides activities for young people and children aged 4 to 18, delivers legal, medical and educational referral services, as well as support to livelihoods through vocational training, job search, joint courses, health services such as physical examination of children, assessment of child malnutrition, and awareness of mothers about nutritional care in children.

In addition, the Center offers voluntary activities to encourage the participation of Syrian communities and host communities in the activities of the community center, and to provide community awareness and cultural and social activities. The courses will include Arabic and Turkish language classes, basic computer skills, Turkish cooking, handcrafts, such as embroidery, sewing, pottery, ceramic works and others.

It is noted that the Quest initiative, aims mainly to ensure that children and young people, who have suffered the outcome of the Syrian crisis, are able to get the necessary education and skills that enable them to move to formal education and find good jobs in the future in order to become active members of their community.

The Syrian crisis has led to the displacement of millions of refugees to neighboring countries. Turkey hosts the largest number, with 3. 572,000 Syrian refugees currently living there, of whom 222,000 living in camps. As a result of the large number of Syrian refugees in Istanbul and their desperate need for social services, mental health services and many other services, the community center was established in the city of Kogali where 55,000 Syrian refugees are concentrated.