Visit to the girls’ orphanage of Grand Bassam

Excellency the First Lady,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Children,

I am particularly pleased to be with you this morning at the girls’ orphanage in Grand-Bassam, on the occasion of the official visit to Côte d’Ivoire, Mrs. Emine Erdogan, First Lady of Turkey.

I would like first of all to greet Mrs. Ermine ERDOGAN and the important delegation accompanying him on her first visit to our country. Welcome to all personalities and employees of the Office of the First Lady, who made the trip to Abidjan, particularly:

– Mrs. Nigar Hülya Çavuşoğlu, Wife of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey

– Mrs. Kevser Elitas, Wife of the Minister of Economy of Turkey

– And Mrs. Yilmaz Hatun, Wife of Turkey Minister of Defense of Turkey

We are pleased to meet them again in Abidjan, after our lovely visit to Turkey last year. I tell them Akwaba in Côte d’Ivoire.

I also welcome the presence at our side of Mrs. Clarisse DUNCAN, the wife of the Prime Minister; and that of Mrs. Kandia Camara, Minister of Education; and Mrs. Euphrasia YAO Kouassi, Minister of the Promotion of Women, of Family and of Child Protection.

I extend my greetings to my sisters, the Wives of Ministers present today to support us.

I also welcome the Prefect of the Department of Grand Bassam, Mathias Djoman BEUDJE; and the President of the Regional Council, Eugène AKA AOUELE; and the Mayor of Grand Bassam, and Mr Georges EZALE, the Deputy of Grand-Bassam, Sériba Coulibaly, who receive us in their commune. Finally I greet all religious and traditional authorities, headed by their Majesties the Kings of Bassam, of Moosou and Ebra, as well as all the assembly of personalities gathered here.

I want to extend my final thanks to all religious and traditional authorities, headed by their Majesties the Kings of Bassam, of Moosou and Ebra, as well as all the personalities gathered here.

Finally, I wish to thank our girls and our supervisors of the orphanage of Grand-Bassam and the population as a whole, for the warm welcome granted to us.

Dear Parents,

The enthusiasm you have expressed on our arrival, testifies a real joy to receive us in our nice and pleasant town of Grand-Bassam. It goes straight to my heart and I thank you for it.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Children!

I have come to visit you today, accompanied by a Great Lady, Her Excellency Mrs. Emine ERDOGAN, humanist with a big heart, committed to the cause of women, who did much for the education and well-being of young girls. It is for me a great honor to receive her here, in the historic town of Grand-Bassam, classified as World Humanity Heritage.

Mrs. Emine ERDOGAN, First Lady of Turkey, made the trip up to you, in order to show you her affection. She arrived with hands loaded of gifts, and I would ask you to applaud her loudly.

Mrs ERDOGAN and I share the same values of solidarity and love that are the basis of our commitment for the development of children. Especially those who do not have the chance to grow up in a family unit. That’s why it was important for us to improve the living and learning environment of our girls of the orphanage.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Taking advantage of this visit, the orphanage in Grand-Bassam benefited a provision of computers for the computer room, but also of the rehabilitation and equipping of the infirmary, as well as building, a water tower for our children to have water in permanence. The facility has also received a brand new generator to able it to function in all circumstances.

I would like for this to thank from the deep of my heart, Mrs. Emine ERDOGAN for these acts of generosity expressed for our girls.

Furthermore, we have rehabilitated the buildings of the orphanage, and fully equipped the dormitories with beds, cabinets and new mattresses for the comfort of our girls.

We also offered a kit of electronic equipment and food, non-food and various cleaning products for the proper operation of the institution.

Finally, in order to promote learning through reading, we brought to the orphanage, many books for the library.

I hope that all these donations help provide our children a nice environment, so our girls could study in good conditions.

Dear Children!

Dear Residents of the Orphanage,

I would like to tell you that you are not alone. We believe in you and we love you very much.

We will always be there to support you in your studies, and motivate you on the path to success.

You are the future of our country, and we encourage you to get good results in class. Keep working well, and make us proud.

Distinguished Leaders and Supervisors of the Orphanage,

Your responsibility to these children is great. It is thanks to you, and your commitment that the residents of the orphanage evolve in a suitable environment and have access to education. I thank you very much for the work you do every day.

I commend your dedication and hope that the donations we have granted you, will help alleviate your daily tasks.

My Dear Little Ones,

I would like to finish by telling you how much I love you. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Good day to you all.

Thank you.