Peshawar:

The Khyber Pakh-tunkhwa Social Welfare and Women Development Department with the assistance of Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) distributed wheelchairs, tricycles and sewing machines among the physically challenged individuals on Monday.

Provincial Minister for Social Welfare and Women Development Sitara Ayaz lauded the assistance extended by Turkey for helping the poor and needy people of Pakistan in general and of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in particular. She said the assistance of the Turkish government for the persons with disability and the poor women, particularly the widows, had won the minds and hearts of the people of this region.

The minister added the decades-long cordial relations between the two Islamic countries were time-tested and the people of Pakistan had lot of goodwill for the Turkish people.She said the Social Welfare Department had been rejuvenated and for the last few years its capacity to redress the hardships of the poor and needy increased manifold. However, she added given the large number of persons with disability and poverty in the province, the Social Welfare Department was making extra efforts at the national and international forums to seek assistance for the poor.

The programme coordinator for TIKA, Elif Turk Islam Oglu, lauded the efforts of Sitara Ayaz for the poor and the disabled in the province.Earlier, the minister and Elif Turk Islam Oglu distributed 300 wheelchairs, 150 tricycles and 400 sewing machines among the destitute men and women. The beneficiaries lauded the help of the Turkish government.

source: http://www.TheNews.com.pk / The News International, Bureau Report / Tuesday, March 20th, 2012