Turkish aid agency opens preschool for Syrian orphans

By Izzet Mazi

KILIS, Turkey (AA) - Turkish IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation has opened a preschool for Syrian orphan refugees between the ages of 4 and 6 in Turkey’s southern province of Kilis, the aid agency said Wednesday.

Ahmet Kenan, the orphan care unit manager, said that the foundation has been conducting numerous aid projects for Syrian orphan children and their families.

Open from Monday to Saturday, the preschool provides care for 70 Syrian orphans. The preschool also offers free transportation and aims to offer a bilingual education through three teachers fluent in Turkish and Arabic.

“We aim to continue our support from kindergarten to university. We will protect these children,” Kenan said.

The aid agency has opened 32 orphanages in 11 countries in the last 22 years. At least 2,350 children are housed in the agency’s orphanages in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Philippines, Nepal, Pakistan, Somalia, Thailand and Uganda.

Meanwhile, the foundation has launched the "7th Orphan Solidarity Days" on Wednesday, according to another statement.

IHH, which takes care of 15,000 orphans in Turkey and 90,000 worldwide, has been organizing Orphan Solidarity Days periodically since 2011.

Orphan Solidarity Days will last three months. The foundation aims to complete 324 projects across 60 Turkish provinces as well as 327 others in 35 countries during these three months.

The statement added that the foundation would also attempt to reach at least 170,000 orphans during that time.