Qatar Charity (QC) recently launched a community centre in Kogali, Turkey, to provide protection services to Syrian refugees and Turkish citizens at an estimated cost of $750,000

The centre is expected to benefit some 14,000 people, QC has said in a statement.

This comes as part of the QUEST initiative launched by Qatar to alleviate the suffering of Syrian refugees, implemented with support from the Qatar Fund for Development and in partnership with the Turkish Red Crescent.

The inaugural ceremony was attended by a number of officials from QC, the governor of Kogali, the mayor and the general manager of the Turkish Red Crescent.

"The community centre in Kogali is one of the results of the QUEST initiative with support from Qatar Fund for Development and Qatar Charity, and through a special partnership with the Turkish Red Crescent," said Nasser al-Mogaiseeb, Relief and International Partnerships manager at Qatar Charity.

He noted that the centre provides "great services for the benefit of Syrian refugees, including child care services, psychosocial support and education services, as well as economic empowerment and enhancement of the chances of living in Turkey", pointing to the special relations with the Turkish Red Crescent through the implementation of many projects inside Turkey and on both sides of the Turkish-Syrian border. Al-Mogaiseeb added that many projects will be implemented in the coming period.

Bayram Salawi, director of Immigration and Refugee Services of the Turkish Red Crescent, thanked Qatari donors and QC for their support and assistance to Syrian refugees in Turkey, praising the co-operation between Qatar Charity and the Turkish Red Crescent in implementing many charitable projects.

He added that the centre provides good services to refugees in the fields of education, health, handicrafts and economic empowerment projects to preserve human dignity.

The centre provides a number of services for the benefit of Syrian refugees, such as psycho-social support and protection services to prevent abuse, neglect and violence against vulnerable groups. It also offers activities for young people and children aged four to 18 years, delivers legal, medical and educational referral services, as well as support to livelihoods through vocational training, job search, joint courses, health services such as the physical examination of children, assessment of child malnutrition and awareness among mothers of nutritional care in children.

In addition, the centre offers voluntary activities to encourage the participation of Syrian communities and host communities in the activities of the community centre, and to provide community awareness and cultural and social activities. The courses will include Arabic and Turkish language classes, basic computer skills, Turkish cooking, handicrafts such as embroidery, sewing, pottery, ceramic works and others.

It is noted that the QUEST initiative aims mainly to ensure that children and young people, who have suffered the outcome of the Syrian crisis, are able to get the necessary education and skills that will enable them to move to formal education and find good jobs in the future in order to become active members of their community.

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