TİKA's "Erenler Sofrası" program feeds 1 million people in 82 countries during Ramadan
The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) provided food and hygiene packages to nearly 1 million people and distributed hot meals to 70,000 people across 82 countries, from the Balkans to Central Asia, Africa to America, during Ramadan under the "Erenler Sofrası" program.
The "Erenler Sofrası" program, named after the cultural icons of a vast geography extending beyond Türkiye's borders, aimed to reach out to people in need without any discrimination based on language, religion, or race, in line with the spirit of unity and solidarity of Anatolian awliya. Through this program, TİKA aimed to convey the message of unity and solidarity by promoting the teachings of Yunus Emre, Hacı Bektaş Veli, and Ahi Evran to people around the world.
In coordination with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, this year's Ramadan solidarity programs were organized under the general directives issued by the Presidency declaring the "Year of Yunus Emre and the Turkish Language" and "Year of Hacı Bektaş Veli." TİKA utilized the program to spread the culture of solidarity in Anatolia to the world, delivering Ramadan packages to approximately 1 million people across 82 countries.
Under the "Erenler Sofrası" program, TİKA distributed 137,000 food packages and 19,000 hygiene packages, reaching out to approximately 1 million people. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, TİKA distributed Ramadan packages to one thousand needy families, while in Serbia's capital Belgrade and the Sandzak region, 2,000 families received food packages. Additionally, TİKA delivered hot meals to a thousand elderly and disabled people who could not leave their homes. In North Macedonia, TİKA distributed food packages to 3,000 families, including ethnic Turks, in cities like Skopje, Kalkandelen, Gostivar, Kırçova, Manastır, and Ohri.
In Albania, 3,500 families in need due to the COVID-19 pandemic received food packages, and hot meals prepared for Ramadan were shared with 2,800 people in Tiran, Elbasan, Kavaje, and Kruja. In Kosovo, TİKA provided food and hygiene packages to 1,700 families, while 2,000 families received Ramadan packages in 13 cities in Montenegro. In Moldova's capital, Chisinau, Gagauzia, and Belts, TİKA reached 4,000 families, while in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, as well as in Vinnitsya, Lviv, Jitomir, Odesa, Herson, Novoalekseevka, and Çaplinka, 1,500 families received Ramadan packages. In Croatia, TİKA distributed Ramadan packages to 1,700 families in need in several cities.
Overall, TİKA's "Erenler Sofrası" program touched the lives of millions of people globally, providing them with food and support during Ramadan. The program also succeeded in promoting Türkiye's culture of solidarity, inspired by Anatolian awliya, and conveyed their messages of unity, brotherhood, and social cohesion to people around the world.
