$5,000 Given By HHRD To Turkish People

On the evening of Tuesday, November 01, 2011 at the picturesque Turkish Center in Houston, Five Thousand Dollars Check was given by ILyas Choudry, U. S. South Central Region Coordinator of Helping Hand for Relief & Development (HHRD), to the Honorable Consul General of Turkey in Houston Cemalettin Aydın, as sincere gesture of solidarity and assistance to the people of Turkey for the recent Van Earthquake.

The visiting Turkish Government Delegation and local Houston Muslims & Pakistan Community persons were present on the occasion.

Members of Alliance of Pakistan Floods Relief Efforts were present. This Alliance is a collaborative of 24 Community Organizations and 12 Community Media Outlets.
In his remarks, Honorable Aydin thanked the Alliance and HHRD for the most thoughtful donation, and said that people of the region of Pakistan, especially those from the areas of Pakistan, also had worked diligently in the 1920s for the people of Turkey, during the times when Turkey was getting her independence.

In his short presentation, ILyas Choudry mentioned that Turkish people have always been in the forefront of humanitarian work in USA & worldwide, especially Pakistan; has contributed a lot to the economy and culture of the world; and that today when Turkey needs much assistance, as thousands of our brethren in humanity in Van Turkey, are struggling in the cold weather after the severe earthquake, we at HHRD feel it as our foremost obligation to assist our Sisters and Brothers of Turkey.

Most recently two days before earthquake hit Van Turkey, Turkish Community had open their picturesque Turkish Center at no charge for the Alliance of Pakistan Floods Relief Efforts and Turkish Community themselves raised more than $25,000 from their own Community for Pakistan, under the umbrella of the Alliance (up till Nov 05th, $76,000+ have been raised by Alliance for Pakistan Floods victims).

ILyas Choudry also informed that HHRD’s Local Rep. from Istanbul Turkey Imam Zulqarnain, has already done $10,000 worth of food distribution to the most affected families of Van; and that more humanitarian work will continue to be done.

For more information, one can go to www.HHRD.Org

Event was covered by community media as well as mainstream local American TVs Channel Two and Channel 39.

The Senior Government of Turkey officials present on the occasion were from “Ministry of Energy and Natural Resource”.

They included:

Prime Ministry – Privatization Administration
Sefa Sadık Aytekin, Deputy Undersecretary
Ozturk Selvitop, Head of Department, Ahmet Aksu, President
Arzu Atik, Head of Project Group
M. Günden Cınar, Head of Project Group
National Regulatory Authority (EMRA)
Alpaslan Bayraktar, Vice President 
Zekeriya Göksenli, Board Member  
Gülefsan Demirbas, Head of Department   
Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey ( ISPAT)
Hasan Pehlivan, Principal Advisor
Erkan Kaptan, Project Director

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