The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), a state-run aid body, donated 5,000 personal care packages for the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh's camps.
The distribution run through Wednesday starting on Saturday in various camps set up in the southern Cox's Bazar district, TİKA's Dhaka office said in a statement on Wednesday.
"COVID-19 affects Rohingya refugees just as it affects the whole world. TİKA has also not forgotten the Rohingya refugees and has distributed cleaning supplies to help them fight the coronavirus," said İsmail Gündoğdu, the agency's Bangladesh coordinator.
The package included products such as face masks, soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, toothpaste, he said.
Mentioning the distressed living condition and helplessness of the persecuted group in Bangladesh's crammed makeshift camps, he said: "TİKA will continue to help the oppressed Rohingya."
"The TİKA has been providing intensive humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees since the crisis began in 2017. From 2017 to 2019, it distributed hot meals to approximately 25,000 people daily," Gündoğdu told Anadolu Agency (AA).
The Rohingya, described by the U.N. as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.
According to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community in August 2017, pushing the number of persecuted people in Bangladesh above 1.2 million.
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).
More than 34,000 Rohingya were also thrown into fires, while over 114,000 others were beaten, said the OIDA report, titled Forced Migration of Rohingya: The Untold Experience.
As many as 18,000 Rohingya women and girls were raped by Myanmar's army and police and over 115,000 Rohingya homes burned down while 113,000 others vandalized, it added.
TİKA on Wednesday also sent food aid to 700 families in Tunisia as part of their Ramadan campaign.
The food packets were dispatched to the provinces of Gafsa and Kasserine, hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, according to a statement by TİKA.
The food packets include flour, sugar, oil, pasta, couscous, chickpeas, tomato paste, tuna fish, halva and semolina.
TİKA, which has been Turkey's flagship international development aid agency since its inception, is known for extending a helping hand to countries on every continent with a diverse array of projects, including vocational training, agricultural support, health services and infrastructure. It represents a significant arm of Turkey's multilayered humanitarian foreign policy and showcases the country's solidarity with countries it previously maintained low-profile ties with.
Kosovo extends thanks for medical aid
As Ankara’s efforts for solidarity and cooperation against the deadly pandemic continue, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti thanked Turkey for delivering medical supplies to his country amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement on Thursday, the prime minister’s office said Kurti received Turkish Ambassador to Kosovo Çağrı Sakar and they discussed the latest developments in the fight against COVID-19.
During the meeting, Kurti thanked Turkey for supporting Kosovo in its fight against the outbreak.
Turkey has made a name for itself in the last decade with its humanitarian efforts. The country has already become a prominent figure of this fresh statecraft by sending medical aid packages almost daily to many corners of the globe.
Turkey has helped at least 57 countries including Italy, Spain and the U.K. and remains the world's third-largest provider of humanitarian aid during the pandemic.
Aid packages mostly include medical masks, protective overalls and gloves, as well as disinfectants. All equipment is produced at military-owned factories and at sewing workshops that produce military uniforms and other clothing for the army.
The first aid kits were delivered to China on Jan. 31, with protective overalls, 93,500 medical masks, 500 medical protective glasses and 10,000 nonsterilized pieces of equipment.
Turkey has a long tradition of sending humanitarian aid to countries facing difficulties, even to those it has tense diplomatic relations with. For instance, back in 1938, only a decade after the country’s foundation following a bloody war, Turkey sent medicine to China amid the outbreak of cholera in far eastern Asia. Similarly, in 1941, Turkey sent medicine to the Greek army upon request from Greece, a country that fought against Turkey during the liberation war. Similar aid has been provided to many other countries over the years, including Ethiopia, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
After originating in China last December, COVID-19 has spread to at least 185 countries and regions. Europe and the U.S. are currently the worst-hit regions.
The pandemic has killed more than 226,100 people worldwide, with the total number of infections exceeding 3.17 million, while nearly 965,000 have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.
