Kyrenia Chamber Choir Donates 4,000TL to
SOS Children’s Village
The Kyrenia Chamber Choir raised 4,000TL for SOS Children’s Village, from a concert at Bellapais Abbey.
More than 300 people attended concert on the 23rd October 2015, in which the Kyrenia Chamber Choir – under the direction of George Ward – performed the choral work of Karl Jenkins’ “The Peacemakers”. The music was composed in memory of all who lost their lives during armed conflicts, with the lyrics featuring the words of famous promoters of peace such as the Dalai Lama, Mother Theresa and Martin Luther-King.
George Ward, the Choir Director, and Choir Chairman Fikri Toros visited SOS Children’s Village on Thursday 26th November 2015, to present the donation. They were joined by Near East Bank Kyrenia Region Expat Manager Naci Karanlık and Near East Bank Kyrenia Customer Services Representative Yılşen Diker.
SOS Children’s Village Programme Manager Ahmet Akarsu and SOS Creche and Preschool Principal Rahme Kavaz accepted the donation and presented the guests with a plaque of appreciation.
Fikri Toros: “We made a modest contribution to SOS Children’s Village, which provides a sacred service to children”.
Kyrenia Chamber Choir Chairman Fikri Toros said the choir has another project lined up for Christmas, adding: “Today we are presenting officials of SOS Children’s Village, which provides a sacred service for children, with a modest contribution of 4,000TL”.
SOS Children’s Village Programme Manager Ahmet Akarsu thanked the Choir representatives for their invaluable and loyal support, while SOS Creche and Preschool Principal Rahme Kavaz expressed her gratitude for their awareness of SOS’s work, referring to Fikri Toros as “one of our hidden heroes”.
George Ward: “75 per cent of the problems that youngsters are having are not known about”.
In his speech, Kyrenia Chamber Choir Director George Ward drew attention to child rights issues in the UK.
He said: “I read in the English press only this last week that the situation of children in need in the British Isles, in my home country, is dire”.
“The problems that young people have are beyond our imagination and what they said in the press is they believed 75 per cent of the problems that youngsters, from being babies through to teenagers, are having are not known about.
“You are here in this beautiful village doing that work, doing a tremendous thing for youngsters to bring them from babies to launching them into life as adults. We are thrilled that we can just go and sing and then say to you, ‘here is a gift that will help the wonderful work you are doing, thank you very much’,” added Mr Ward.
Highlighting the relevance of “The Peacemakers”, which the Choir performed on both sides of the island, Mr Ward said: “I thought of it as something that was appropriate at this point in time when peace is very high on the island’s agenda, and to take it to the South, and to perform it at Bellapais, it was our mission, our will, our desire, for you that this should remain and be established as a permanently peaceful place”.
The donation will be used towards meeting the educational needs of children under the programmes of SOS Children’s Village.
