Turkish NGOs to sacrifice livestock in Mogadishu

Turkish non-governmental organizations will sacrifice livestock and deliver more than 500 tons of meat to people in Mogadishu, Somalia during the Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice). MOGADISHU (AA) - November 5, 2011- Orhan Canbulatel - Religious Affairs Foundation (TDV) Somalia Coordinator Mehmet Sukru Eroglu told AA on Saturday that the livestock Turkish people donated to TDV would be sacrificed and distributed to 24,000 families in need in famine-stricken Somalia. Red Crescent aid society, Kimse Yok Mu Foundation, Cansuyu Foundation, Yardim Eli Foundation and Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) are among the NGOs which help Somalia during the Feast of Sacrifice. Somalia is facing with one of the worst droughts in the past 60 years. The epicenter of the drought lies on the three-way border shared by Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, a nomadic region where families heavily depend on the health of their livestock. Uganda and Djibouti have also been hit by the disaster. Tens of thousands of people have so far been displaced due to the humanitarian situation in the region. Feast of Sacrifice is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his son Ishmael (Isma'il) as an act of obedience to God, before God intervened to provide him with a ram to sacrifice instead. The meat is divided into three parts. The family retains one third of the share; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbors; and the other third is given to the poor and needy.