Turkish volunteers extend relief to Senegalese orphans

DAKAR-Anadolu Agency

Turkish volunteers on Aug. 18 visited an orphanage in western Senegal to provided food and cleaning supplies to the poor with the help of Turkey's state-run Aid Agency.

Volunteers visited an orphanage where over a thousand abandoned babies and children take shelter in Mbour city, under the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA)'s "Experience Exchange Program".

Murat Göçer, one of the volunteers, told Anadolu Agency that he got emotional when children deprived of parents' love started to hug him.

"Some were crying. I went through indescribable feelings," he said, thanking TİKA for giving him the opportunity to extend a helping hand to the needy orphans.

TİKA, with contributions of Anadolu Agency, Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), Turkish Airlines, Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) launched the "Experience Exchange Program" with a view of raising awareness on international volunteerism among university students.

This program entered its third year, with a total of 500 Turkish students of various universities have visited 35 different countries in 2019.