Qatar Charity (QC), in co-operation with the Municipality of Shahinbey in Gaziantep, a city in Turkey, distributed 136 wheelchairs to Turks and Syrian refugees with special needs. More wheelchairs are expected to be delivered during the next few days.
The project involves distribution of 175 wheelchairs, in addition to 25 electric wheelchairs which can cover more than 30km on a single charge. The project was carried out based on needs assessed by the Municipality of Shahinbey.
Mehmet Tahmazoglu, mayor of the Shahinbey Municipality, thanked the people in Qatar and QC for continuously supporting the Turks and the Syrian refugees in Gaziantep. “The benefactors of Qatar and Qatar Charity have been known for their constant initiative and works in every field of charitable activities carried out by the Shahinbey Municipality,” he said.
Ali Nasr al-Badawi, programmes manager at QC’s Turkey office thanked the Shahinbey Municipality for their continuous co-operation in facilitating the charity work and reaching the beneficiaries. He also noted that QC, since the opening of its office in Turkey, has been supporting the most vulnerable, including orphans, people with special needs, and underprivileged families, across the country.
The beneficiaries expressed their great happiness with receiving the wheelchairs.
“I used to sit in front of my house, looking at the passers-by, wondering if I will be able to move freely as people do,” said Enger, who received an electric wheelchair. “One day, mayor Tahmazoglu visited us in the neighbourhood, and at the end of my meeting with him, he promised me an electric wheelchair, which I got, thanks to the contributions of the donors from Qatar and the efforts of the municipality,” added Enger.
QC has previously implemented many similar projects, in co-operation with other Turkish municipalities, as well as in Syrian refugee camps, where hundreds of wheelchairs were distributed to the refugees. The distribution of the wheelchairs took place in the municipality of Sanl?urfa, intending to effectively reintegrate vulnerable sections into society.
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