A Turkish state-run agency provided 10,000 N95 face masks Tuesday to Kalafong Hospital in the South African capital Pretoria to help health workers there curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Mehmet Akif Şekerci, the program coordinator for the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), said the masks will be distributed to medical personnel at the hospital and the Mohau Child Care Center, which was renovated and equipped by TİKA two years ago.
The center provides care and support to orphaned children affected by HIV/AIDS.
"Turkey is ranked as the most effective and one of the most prepared countries against the new type of coronavirus pandemic," Şekerci said.
"While the COVID-19 pandemic continues, some countries are experiencing a shortage of personal protective gear, and therefore, upon request, Turkey provided the necessary equipment to Kalafong Hospital,'' he said.
Despite Turkey battling its own coronavirus outbreak, the Turkish government has been helping countries and organizations abroad with protective gear and food aid since the outbreak of the virus.
Esther Jaca, a manager at the Mohau Child Care Center, expressed her appreciation to TİKA and the Turkish people for their assistance in the fight against COVID-19.
South Africa is one of Africa's most affected countries by the virus, with 4,996 confirmed cases and 93 deaths.
Turkish Ambassador to South Africa Elif Çomoğlu Ülgen applauded her country for being among the most generous in the world when it comes to providing humanitarian aid.
She also said TİKA has extended its helping hand by reaching some of the most remote and neglected areas in the world.
She also praised South Africa for doing its best to combat the spread of COVID-19, saying it is one of the countries that has implemented the fastest and most effective measures to combat the virus.
Solidarity and cooperation against pandemic
Showing an exemplary spirit of solidarity and cooperation, Turkey has become the third-biggest supplier of medical aid worldwide amid the coronavirus outbreak, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Tuesday.
The country also provides the largest amount of humanitarian aid in the world, he said.
On Twitter, Çavuşoğlu shared a message with the hashtags #StrongTurkey and #HumanitarianForeignPolicy, citing the words of 13th-century scholar Jalaluddin Rumi, which were printed on boxes containing medical aid for the U.S.: "After hopelessness, there is much hope, and after darkness, there is the much brighter sun."
In his message, he included a photo of a medical aid plane from Turkey, saying: "In addition to providing the largest amount of humanitarian aid in the world, Turkey is the third biggest supplier of medical aid worldwide during the coronavirus outbreak."
The world will overcome the novel coronavirus "through international solidarity and cooperation," the Presidency's communications director, Fahrettin Altun, also said Tuesday.
"In these trying times, we continue to stand in solidarity with our friends and allies. We will leave these dark days behind through international solidarity and cooperation," Altun said on Twitter
A Turkish military plane carrying medical supplies landed in the U.S. on Tuesday to support the country's fight against the coronavirus pandemic as it reported over 1 million confirmed cases.
Turkey's defense ministry has also sent medical aid to Spain, Italy, the U.K., Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Libya and Somalia.
