Every year for the past three years, Turkish Ambassador in Cairo Huseyin Avni Botsali has held a spring charity event at his residence in Giza. But it was different this year, as the Ambassador bade farewell to the attendees, because his commitment as a diplomat in Cairo is soon to end. This yearly event was organised by the Turkish Embassy in support of ‘Al-Nour Wal Amal Association', an NGO for blind people, the Children's Cancer Hospital (57357) and other charitable causes in Egypt and Turkey. Thousands of people of different nationalities and ages, including diplomats and VIPs, attended the event, to say goodbye to the Ambassador and also to support these charitable causes. The Ambassador, who has spent three-and-a-half years here, spoke to the audience from the heart, saying: "I believe that Egypt has a bright future. The younger generation should have hope for their country. "There are two enemies: poverty and illiteracy. By fighting them, societies improve. Egypt does not need help, but solidarity from her friends. We will never leave you," he added. The event, which ran from 10am till 6pm, featured performances, singing and a raffle, while Turkish products, including clothes, food, domestic utensils and other accessories, as well as the products of the participating NGOs, were offered for sale. The highlight of the event, held on Saturday, was the donation of the first four wheelchairs for needy people as part of the 'Farahhom wa Es'edhom' (Make them Happy and Please Them) campaign. This idea was born of a brainstorming session of some Turkish businesswomen living in Cairo. An Egyptian businessman called Sherif el-Barbari adopted it a few months ago, making their dream come true. Anyone can share in this by collecting plastic caps and lids from domestic products, even the caps on tubes of toothpaste, and giving them to a volunteer by calling (202) 011 1277 9111. After collecting several tonnes of these plastic caps, the campaign volunteers take them to a factory for recycling. They then use the money to buy wheelchairs for the needy. The Turkish Ambassador's residence is one of the places which has collected tonnes of these plastic caps for recycling at the factory.
