Volunteering Camp and Field Experience Sharing” events, organized under the Turkic Red Network and hosted by the Turkish Red Crescent with the financial support of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), were successfully held in Istanbul.
Held between 30 July and 8 August at the Turkish Red Crescent Heybeliada Youth Camp, Üsküdar Branch, Zeynep Kamil Blood Donation Center, and the Marmara Regional Disaster Response Center, the program brought together 40 volunteers and staff members from the Red Crescent and Red Cross Societies of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Hungary, Uzbekistan, Türkiye, and Turkmenistan.
The opening ceremony was honored by the presence of Mr. Kubanıçbek Ömüraliyev, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States; Prof. Dr. Fatma Meriç Yılmaz, President of the Turkish Red Crescent; and Ms. Jessie Thomson, Head of the IFRC Delegation in Türkiye.
Implemented within the framework of the Turkic Red Network Project—an initiative of the Organization of Turkic States aimed at strengthening regional cooperation in humanitarian action and enhancing institutional capacity among member National Societies—the event provided a valuable platform for volunteers from across the Turkic world to come together, share experiences, and celebrate the unifying power of volunteering that transcends borders.
Mr. Ömüraliyev, Prof. Dr. Yılmaz, and Ms. Thomson also joined the young participants during the activities, embodying the spirit of solidarity and humanitarian engagement that lies at the heart of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
