A historic Greek Orthodox church in Lebanon was renovated and refurbished with the support of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA). The public agency, instrumental in development aid across the world, hosted an event for the reopening of the renovated church built 170 years ago.
In cooperation with the Kfeir Greek Orthodox Church Foundation, which runs the eponymous church, the TIKA renovated the nave of the church, which seats 300 people, as well as its roof and installed air conditioners inside the place of worship.
TIKA officials and Turkish Ambassador in Beirut Ali Barış Ulusoy joined the church officials, Kfeir's mayor and guests for the event on Sunday. Bishop Constantin, bishop for the region where the church is located, presented an appreciation award to the ambassador and TIKA Beirut Coordinator Orhan Aydın for Turkey’s assistance to the church.
Ambassador Ulusoy said at the event that the TIKA cooperated with the church foundation at a time of economic crisis in Lebanon when the church had difficulty securing donations for renovation work.
Kfeir is a village near Lebanon's southern border with Israel and has a population of about 10,000 people, mostly Druze and the Christian community. In 2015, the TIKA renovated another church in Akkar in northern Lebanon.
Turkey has long been behind humanitarian efforts for Lebanon. Following the 2006 war between Lebanon and Israel, it transferred $20 million worth of humanitarian aid through nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to the country. Ankara has also played a key role in building new schools. The Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) has established 37 prefabricated schools, while Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) has undertaken the construction of another 20 schools. The TIKA has been active in Lebanon since opening an office there in 2014 and has run several projects on education and health, as well as restoration work for historical sites. Following explosions at the Port of Beirut in 2020, the TIKA started transporting 400 tons of wheat to help the country after the blast ripped through grain silos at the port.
Since its founding in 1992, the agency has been responsible for facilitating Turkey's official development assistance by providing aid to developing countries. TIKA has helped as many as 140 countries worldwide and operates in 50 countries.
