Independent Turkish Interview with BCF President

In an interview with Independent Turkish, Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF) President Musa Ahmed spoke about the foundation’s humanitarian efforts for the earthquake victims in Turkey.

The BCF president stated that “as the Barzani Charity Foundation and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, we were the first organization to reach the earthquake zone.”  He added that the Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani instructed BCF along with the goverment’s Ministry of Health and Interior, to dispatch aid teams on the first day, consisting of search and rescue, health personnel and vehicles. “Our first work was primarily in the field of search, rescue and health, he said.

“We operated in almost all earthquake zones, including Diyarbakır, Maraş, Urfa, Adıyaman, Antep and its districts. The Turkish government also assisted in our operation,” said the BCF president, noting that President Masoud Barzani informed them in the first hours of the earthquake and instructed them to prepare to help the earthquake victims.
 

Regarding the mechanism of the BCF work for the victims, Musa Ahmed said they divided their activities into three separate phases. The first was search and rescue. The second was hot food, that is, the delivery of food, and the third was health care. And also other necessities such as hygiene kits, blankets and clothes to the victims, especially women and children. 

He stated that they went to almost the whole earthquake-affected areas in coordination with AFAD and Kızılay organizations.


“We built a camp of tents in Adıyaman where a total of 25 thousand people can be accommodated from 5 different regions,” he said, adding that they are also delivering aid to regions affected by the earthquake in Syria, in 85 villages of Afrin.

“Both President Masoud Barzani and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani stressed that our service will continue as long as needed. There was a really big disaster and people lost their homes, jobs, everything. Therefore, our activities will continue until we are needed here,” he said.


The BCF president later shed light on the overseas work of the foundation, saying that “the foundation was established in 2005 and has operated in many countries until now. We have been to many countries, especially Sudan, Bangladesh, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon. In fact, this is not our first activity in Turkey, we provided humanitarian aid in the 2011 Van earthquake. Therefore, we wish to have offices in Turkey to continue working as a foundation.

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