Turkish agency delivers Ramadan aid in South Africa

A foundation linked to Turkey's top religious body distributed food packages in three regions of South Africa.

"We have helped some 800 families in a span of three days," Selman Aktaş, a volunteer for the Türkiye Diyanet Foundation (TDV) said. The aid was sent by Turkish philanthropists on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan. Aktaş said people in these regions live in abject poverty. "The residents don't have proper housing. The houses are made of tin and they use shared toilets and bathrooms. They don't have access to clean water or electricity. The living conditions are worse than those in refugee camps," he said, adding that "There aren't many schools in the area as well." He said the residents were happy to receive aid from a faraway country. "They know a lot about Turkey. They pray for Turkey as well as other Muslim countries."

TDV volunteers also distributed balloons and candies among children. This year the foundation is reaching out to poor people in more than 300 regions in 84 countries.