About a thousand children victims of the Ukrainian war had fun at the events that lasted for two days in Antalya as part of the May 19 Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day.

THEY CAME FROM ORPHANAGES IN UKRAINE

With the initiative of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s wife, Emine Erdoğan, and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy’s wife, Olena Zelenska, children brought to Turkey from orphanages in Ukraine were placed in hotels in Manavgat and Kemer.

Under the coordination of the Antalya Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Services and in cooperation with the International Civil Society Support and Development Association (STD), Yunus Emre Institute organized a two-day event for Ukrainian children trying to forget the scars of war in Antalya as part of the May 19 Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day.

Some of the Ukrainian children had fun at a hotel in Beldibi, Kemer, while the other group had a good time at the events held at a hotel in the Side District of Manavgat. Within the scope of the activities, children had the opportunity to do activities such as clay, martial arts, painting, a three-dimensional tour of Turkey, and shooting arrows.

Emphasizing the importance of world peace with the paintings they made with their painted hands, children who were victims of war voluntarily collected garbage on the Antalya coast to support environmental awareness.

Children who were victims of war had a lot of fun at the event, where various animation shows were played, and Turkish and Ukrainian music were played.

TURKISH COURSE FOR CHILDREN VICTIMS OF WAR

Yunus Emre Institute Coordinator İhsan Demirbaş stated that they hosted approximately one thousand Ukrainian children in Antalya. Expressing that they shared the excitement of the Ukrainian children at the event and that they had a good day, Demirbaş said, “We will soon start Turkish courses in Antalya for our Ukrainian children who are victims of war. Our Turkish courses will be held online and face-to-face.’’

Ukraine’s Consul in Antalya, Emir Rustamov, who attended the event, stated that they celebrated a double holiday in Antalya and said, “We are having a double holiday because it is the Youth Day in Turkey and the National Dress Day in Ukraine. Today we wore our traditional clothes and shirts. That’s how we try to celebrate this holiday.’’

Mentioning that both the war and the life in Ukraine continue, Rustamov emphasized that about a thousand orphans from Ukraine have been having fun here with their Turkish friends.