GAZIANTEP (Turkey): Muslim Volunteer Malaysia (MVM) and Global Peace Mission Malaysia (GPM) held an iftar for 2,000 Syrian refugees at the Gaziantep Recreational Park last night - the first event in a series of week-long Ramadan activities by the mission aimed at easing the Syrians’ plight.
The iftar was held with the co-operation of Malaysia Life Line for Syria (MLLFS), and local NGO Bonyan Organisation.
All the Syrian refugees present at the iftar were orphans and single mothers, and the breaking of the fast was enlivened with the antics and leisure activities of the children.
MVM president Muhammad Jantan said the humanitarian mission was made possible with the continuous support of Malaysians.
“While a majority (90%) of our programmes are run in Malaysia, we extend help to our brothers in the Middle East on the basis of responsibility and humanity,“ he told Bernama yesterday.
There are six members in the humanitarian mission including its head, GPM CEO Ahmad Fahmi Mohd Samsudin.
Ahmad Fahmi said the mission is aimed at helping 20,000 Syrian refugees, mainly in Gaziantep, Kilis and Sanliurfa in Turkey.
Turkey is now a sanctuary for more than 3.6 million Syrian refugees affected by the country’s civil war since March 2011, with Gaziantep among the four regions with the highest number of refugee populations in Turkey.
Among the Syrian refugees present at the mission’s iftar was Fatma Muraib of Halab and her three children, who expressed her gratefulness for the contributions of Malaysians to sponsor the iftar.
“May Allah reward you,” said Fatma, who was taken to the iftar ceremony via a special bus.
Individuals or corporate bodies wishing to contribute to the Ramadan mission can browse the Facebook pages of MVM, GPM and MLLFS for more information. — Bernama
