Turkey distributes food, hygiene materials in Zimbabwe

By Mehmet Sah Yilmaz

ANKARA (AA) – Turkey’s state-run aid body provided food packages and hygiene materials to 1,000 families in Zimbabwe amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, the agency said in a statement on Friday.

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) delivered aid to families in the eastern Marondera province and the Chegutu region in cooperation with the Turkish Embassy in Harare.

The aid packages included sugar, rice, flour, oil as well as hygiene products such as soap.

Jamaad Musa, imam of Gadzema Mosque, expressed his gratefulness to TIKA and Turkish people.

“I had nothing to eat at home and I did not know where to find food. I am grateful to TIKA for coming on time,” said Llewelyn Sharief Phiri, a local in the region.

Zimbabwe so far reported 1,362 coronavirus cases, 425 recoveries and 23 fatalities, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.

The global pandemic claimed over 590,600 lives in 188 countries and regions since it has originated in China last December.

The US, Brazil, Russia and India are currently the worst-hit countries in the world.

More than 13.83 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries exceeding 7.73 million, shows Johns Hopkins data.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar