The revered Korean Dharma master and Buddhist activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (법륜스님) returned to the city of Gaziantep in southern Türkiye on 9 October to mark the official completion and inauguration of the Khalid bin al-Walid School project.* The Buddhist humanitarian relief organization JTS Korea initiated the project in the Türkiye-Syria border region, in the wake of the devastating earthquakes that rocked southern Türkiye and parts of Syria in February 2023.
Soon after reports of last year’s earthquakes spread around the world, JTS Korea volunteers responded by placing team members on the ground to reach out to those at the epicenter of the crisis in Türkiye (formerly Turkey). Ven. Pomnyun Sunim joined JTS Korea volunteers and local relief groups to provide humanitarian aid to survivors of the disaster, distributing supplies and offering support for those in need.**
After a full year of construction work by volunteers from the White Helmets civil organization, Khalid bin al-Walid School, which can accommodate up to 4,000 students, has been completed. The new building features a basement and three above-ground floors, 122 rooms, including 52 classrooms, and space for science laboratories, libraries, and conference rooms.
▶️ Published by BDG on October 16, 2024
