International Blue Crescent Relief and Development Foundation

The two devastating earthquakes that took place in Kocaeli on 17 August 1999 and in Düzce on 12 November 1999 caused a delay in the official procedures of foundation. On the other hand, the already gained experiences on relief activities and international solidarity relationships established during the Kosovo program that ended on January 2000, enabled the implementation of several relief activities as hot meal distribution in tent camps, medical equipment donations to hospitals even though not having an official foundation presence. The necessary official procedure had been started again in May 2000 and the International Blue Crescent Relief and Development Foundation was officially founded according to Turkish legislation with registration number 4820 on 8 November 2000.

Since more than 20 years, IBC has been working to help in alleviating human sufferings, hunger, illiteracy among all people regardless of nationality, ethnicity, race, color, social origin, religion, belief, language, political opinion, gender, age, and sexual orientation, genetic and physical features. With the aim and intention to increase its effectiveness internationally, IBC became a member of the ICVA International Council of Voluntary Agencies having its headquarters in Geneva in April 2003. On the 13th General Assembly held in March 2006, IBC was elected to the Board of Directors of the organization. IBC has applied to the UN Economic and Social Council to have Special Consultant Status in order to contribute to the work of ECOSOC and its subsidiary bodies in cooperation with other NGOs. The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues, and for formulating policy recommendations addressed to the Member States and the United Nations system. “The Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations” of IBC has been approved in July 2006. As a result of independent supervisions in foundation center and in practice field, IBC is the 18^th NGO all around the world and first and only NGO in Turkey that received Core Humanitarian Standard which is seen as an international standard.

Education and Protection

Child-Friendly Spaces – İstanbul, Kilis, Gaziantep

Community Centers – İstanbul, Kilis, Gaziantep

Women Support Center – Kilis

Child Recreational Vehicles – İstanbul, Kilis

Information Centers – İstanbul, Konya, Bursa

Youth Development Center – İstanbul

Emergency Aids

Food and Cloth Aid – Turkey, Syria, Yemen, Somali, Iraq

Community Development

Cash aid in exchange for business – İstanbul (Küçükçekmece&Sultanbeyli)

Rehabilitation

Distribution of Medical and Health Equipment – Northern Syria, Yemen, Şanlıurfa, Kilis, İstanbul, Bursa, Konya, Gaziantep

Sources