Sadakataşi Foundation opens learning center for Rohingya children
A Turkish aid agency has opened a learning center for children at a refugee camp in Bangladesh where Rohingya Muslims took shelter after fleeing Myanmar's Rakhine State.
In a written statement, Sadakataşı Foundation, an Istanbul-based non-governmental organization, said it opened "DNA Digital Education Center" at the Mainnerghona camp which is currently hosting at least 22,000 Rohingya refugees.
Two teachers will provide education at the learning center which was made from bamboo to withstand heat and humid climate of the region.
Foundation head Kemal Özdal, cited in the statement, drew attention to the overloaded refugee camps, saying that the education is one of the biggest problems in the camps in Bangladesh.
"We are happy to open our 8th school for Rohingya children," Özdal added.
Humanitarian aid must include efforts to reduce recipients’ dependency on it, Turkey’s First Lady Emine Erdoğan said Monday.Speaking at a panel organized by the Turkish SETA Foundation in New York, Erdoğan highlighted that humanitarian aid policies should not increase the dependency of the recipients.“Our [Turkey’s] vision of humanitarian aid is not about aid packages or vulnerable people waiting in line,” said Erdoğan, adding the country’s aid covers not only meeting basic needs but also prevention of crises and reducing dependency through development support.“Therefore, humanitarian aid must also include efforts focusing on development,” she said.Turning to Syrian refugees living in Turkey, who number more than three million and more than half of whom are women and children, Erdoğan said Ankara does not provide shelter alone.“We place special importance on teaching women a profession to help their survival. We provide courses in many areas ranging from hairdressing to computer skills.“We rehabilitate women who have suffered in the war through development programs and hobby courses and help them discover their potential,” she added.As for children, she said, Turkey works to ensure that they are provided with education and young Syrian people are able to pursue their university studies.She recalled that Turkey is also providing development aid to Africa.“In other words, we are, to use a popular phrase, teaching them how to fish instead of providing the fish. We provide training and equipment to Africa that will help them discover their own potential,” she added.Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.Turkey didn’t leave innocents to mercy of Syrian regime, says FMSeven civilians killed as YPG/PKK raids Syrian villageIraq, Syria swarming with approximately 10,000 foreign agents
Aid should focus on development: Turkey’s first lady
Persecuted Rohingya
Since Aug. 25, 2017, more than 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s state forces, according to the Ontario International Development Agency (OIDA).
In a report, "Forced Migration of Rohingya: The Untold Experience", the OIDA increased the estimated number of murdered Rohingya to 23,962 (±881) from an earlier Doctors Without Borders figure of 9,400.
More than 34,000 Rohingya were also thrown into fires, while over 114,000 others were beaten, the OIDA report said, adding that 17,718 (±780) Rohingya women and girls were raped by the Myanmar army and police.
More than 115,000 Rohingya houses were burned and 113,000 others were vandalized, it added.
According to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly children, and women have fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community.
The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.
The UN documented mass gang rapes, killings -- including of infants and young children -- brutal beatings, and disappearances committed by Myanmar state forces. In its report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity.
Turkey’s foreign minister on Monday discussed the plight of Rohingya Muslims with his British and French counterparts in New York.Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Twitter that the foreign ministers "evaluated" the state of Rohingya Muslims, stressing on the microblogging site that "humanitarian aid must be increased."His talks with Jeremy Hunt and Jean-Yves Le Drian came on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings.Cavusoglu said Rohingya Muslims' voluntary and safe return from Bangladesh to Myanmar must be secured.Since Aug. 25, 2017, nearly 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s state forces, according to a report by the Ontario International Development Agency (OIDA).Amnesty International had said more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly children and women, fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community since August 2017.The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.Cavusoglu also held talks with the Secretary General of Council of Europe, Secretary General of Organization of Islamic Cooperation, foreign ministers of Moldova, Japan and Colombia, he said on Twitter.
Turkish FM discusses Rohingya with counterparts