Turkish Volunteers Build School for Hurricane-ravaged Bangladesh

The second day of Eid al-Adha saw the opening ceremony of a fully equipped school built by the Turkish Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There) aid association in the Bangladeshi district of Galachipa, which was ravaged by Hurricane Sidr last year in a natural disaster that killed thousands.

The Turkey-Bangladesh Friendship School had its opening ceremony a little over a year after the devastating Hurricane Sidr struck in November 2007. The elementary school was constructed over the course of nearly seven months at a cost of $140,000 and can hold 250 students.

A delegation of five Turkish deputies, Kimse Yok Mu officials and volunteers and Turkish journalists made the five-hour journey to Bangladesh for the school's opening, traveling the 250-kilometer road between the capital Dhaka and Galachipa, making the trip by car and crossing four rivers by ferry. Vice Gov. A.K.M. Mahivdalin and Galachipa District Gov. Muhammad Yusuf Alimullah met the delegation at the end of their trip, and the group breakfasted at Alimullah's official residence before the opening ceremonies began.

Speaking at the opening, Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Manisa deputy Recai Berber said that to get to the site of the school they had undertaken one of the most difficult journeys of their lives. "But when we arrived and were met by the beloved children and their smiling faces, we believed that the journey would be worth even more difficulty. I'm very happy to be here with you today."

A bridge of brotherhood

Area aid coordinator Metin Çetiner also spoke at the event, emphasizing that the school was not the only aid the association had provided in the wake of Hurricane Sidr. "We're here to put smiles on the faces of those people affected by the 2007 hurricane and to make them happy. The hurricane struck during the second half of November. Kimse Yok Mu was here on Dec. 1, at the sides of the victims, our Bangladeshi brothers. We provided aid to the Patuakhali, Dumki, Angaria, Mirzaganj and Charpara regions also, distributing blankets, food and meat to 10,000 families. We provided health screenings for 1,200 people. Following that, we laid the foundations for the school that we're opening here today. … I believe that the Turkey-Bangladesh Friendship School that we opened today will serve the establishment of a bridge of brotherhood between our two countries," he said.

The best-equipped and most modern school in the area, the Turkey-Bangladesh Friendship School features a library, a computer lab, two science laboratories, five classrooms, teachers' rooms and a principal's room.

Hurricane Sidr killed at least 4,400 people in Bangladesh in November 2007 and left millions homeless.

Kimse Yok Mu volunteer and AK Party Samsun deputy Birnur Şahinoğlu noted the difficulty of the road to the school's area. "Students educated here will convey beautiful messages to the world. When they complete their education they will change the face of Bangladesh, ensuring that it takes its place among the beautiful and developed nations. I would like to thank the Kimse Yok Mu association, of which I'm a volunteer. I am happy and proud to have shared the happiness of this Eid al-Adha holiday with my Bangladeshi brothers."