"Mama Turkey," as she is known in Tanzania, is doing a myriad of charity works, including helping out against the coronavirus outbreak, in the African nation.

Yeşim Meço Davutoğlu, wife of Ali Davutoğlu, the Turkish ambassador to Dar Es Salaam, delivers liquid soap and sanitizers to locals in rural areas. Davutoğlu has been in Tanzania for eight years and ran a series of charity projects to reach out to the needy in the country. The East African nation currently has 19 cases of COVID-19 and reported its first death on Tuesday. At a time when hygiene is of utmost importance against the outbreak, water resources in the country are scarce. Davutoğlu is leading efforts to drill water wells in the country but says rural areas still suffer from water problems. She says she brings soaps and sanitizers wherever she visits in rural regions and says probably it is first time that the locals, with almost no access to water, have seen these types of hygiene products.

In addition to drilling water wells, Davutoğlu’s efforts range from opening an orphanage to establishing a village for albinos, who are killed and mutilated in ritual attacks due to superstitious beliefs. With the support of the Turkish community in Tanzania, she established the Ashura Foundation to bring all charity activities under one roof.