Amed, Kurdistan - Last month, a flood relief project was initiated by the Kurdish American Youth Organization (KAYO) in coordination with the Kurdish Cultural Search Foundation (Kurt-KAV) in Istanbul to help the Kurdish victims of the floods that hit the city of Amed (Diyarbakir) in November of 2006. The project came to a conclusion this month as the donations collected in the United States were distributed to the families in Amed.

The project was initiated and coordinated by KAYO and donations were collected from several Kurdish communities in the United States. Collections lasted a few weeks due to the urgency of the project in transferring the donations to the Kurdish families in Amed during the cold season. The donations were transferred and distributed by the Kurt– KAV foundation and the head of foundation, Bayram Karaca in Amed. The collections of donations amounted to $8570 and were distributed to 39 different Kurdish families who were victimized by the harsh floods in November.

Several news agencies had reported last November that many people had died and several more lost their homes as a result of the severe floods. Many people were dislocated and many families in the impoverished region suffered with no compensation for their losses. The Kurdish American Youth Organization (KAYO), in coordination with the Kurt-KAV foundation in Istanbul, initiated an effort to provide monetary assistance to the victims. The head of Kurd-KAV, Bayram Karacayi, released a statement to Net-Kurd regarding these efforts:

“The support that was given was symbolic in that it showed the awareness in the hearts of those who provided help (to the victims), and we would like to thank KAYO. We were very happy that they decided to work with Kurt-KAV to distribute the donations and help the victims. The greatest appreciation is for KAYO. On this occasion, we would also like for everyone to recognize this project. We wish the best for the victims and those who lost their loved ones.”