Melek el-Nimer, a Turkish woman who married a Palestinian man she had met in Switzerland in the 1970s, has dedicated her life to volunteering at refugee camps hosting Palestinians in Lebanon.

El-Nimer started visiting Palestinian refugee camps four decades ago when she first started living in the country with her husband.

She noted that she worked in a nongovernmental organization (NGO) geared toward meeting the needs of the elderly, including social gatherings, medical needs and more.

After the COVID-19 pandemic hit Lebanon, el-Nimer’s NGO "Unite Lebanon Youth Project" (ULYP) started distributing food to the elderly in need.

The Turkish philanthropist donated her late father-in-law’s farm to the organization, which now serves as an education campus with three football fields, a basketball field and three large studios, as well as a two-class-room day care facility.

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) also contributes to the campus, el-Nimer told Anadolu Agency (AA), adding that many children benefit from the activities and education provided there.