Kuşkor, North Cyprus

January 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

KUŞKOR, translating to North Cyprus Society for the Protection of Birds and Nature, has been active in North Cyprus for over 10 years, and strives to educate the Turkish Cypriot population about protecting birdlife and nature through presentations to schools and villages, as well as monitoring the bird population on the island as best it can, whether migratory or native.

Formed in the early 1990’s, they work hard to protect and conserve the current bird population of North Cyprus at a time when the birds’ local habitat is dwindling through tourism development, and the numbers of birds are depleting due to hunting and hotter and dryer summers.

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North Cyprus Foreign Residents Associations

January 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

If you’re living in North Cyprus as a foreign resident then it’s useful to know that there are expat residents’ groups around to offer a helping hand in times of need, or if you require some specific information about something. 

There are a few groups that are particularly worth making a note of just in case you should ever need their support.  They all do sterling work to help and provide information to the community, and they have pots of knowledge on all matters relating to living in North Cyprus.

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Cancer Charities in North Cyprus

January 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

North Cyprus has a wonderful reputation for its ability to form effective and extremely helpful organisations to benefit the local and expat population.  Some of these organisations form a group of charities dedicated to those who have fallen ill through cancer.

Their duties and services vary, but all have the same aim, and that is to provide professional, financial, medical, and psychological support through their network of helpers and volunteers.

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North Cyprus SOS Children’s Village

January 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

SOS in North Cyprus does a great job in ensuring that all children who need help, whether through being orphaned or because they have parents who cannot for some reason look after and raise them, are given as much help and support as required through their programmes and facilities.

SOS Kinderdorf is an international organisation started in Austria in 1949, set up in response to the needs of children who had lost their homes, their security and their families as a result of the Second World War.  SOS International now helps children of all ages worldwide with the help of donors and co-workers.

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Kyrenia Animal Rescue & BARK, North Cyprus

January 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

North Cyprus does suffer somewhat from the ‘stray dog’ syndrome, and many expats will take on the odd ‘pet’ found in their local area to lighten to load somewhat, but unfortunately there is no real solution in place to ensure that stray animals are neutered to prevent the population overload that occurs, especially with cats and dogs.

Most sadly, in 2004 the European Commission adjudged North Cyprus to be a ‘third world’ country in terms of animal welfare and DEFRA in the UK (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), were obliged – for political reasons rather than veterinary ones – to remove North Cyprus from the Pet Travel Scheme.  This had allowed pets arriving in the UK from North Cyprus to forgo the normal 6 months quarantine period.  This scheme had been popular in North Cyprus, allowing foreigners returning to their domicile countries to take their adopted pets back with them.

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North Cyprus Social Groups

January 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

If you’re living in North Cyprus there’s often the question of what to do as an expat, especially if you like to participate in social gatherings and want to get involved in local activities which are of a more social nature.  The good news is that there’s plenty of choice of social activities to do and social groups to join available to you and your children.

There are a whole host of social clubs in North Cyprus and it’s likely you’ll find something that appeals to you, whether it be a walking group or dance class – but the good thing is, even if you don’t or you have a particular passion for a specific kind of social activity, you can always set up your own club or social gathering!

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KEMA, North Cyprus

January 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

KEMA, or the Cyprus Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion, for Reforestation and the Protection of Natural Habitats, was formed by around 40 people under the leadership of Dr. Orhan Aydeniz in 2005, amidst growing concern about the deforestation and destruction of natural habitats throughout North Cyprus.

The foundation is involved with tackling sensitive issues such as inappropriate agricultural practices, confronting political decisions which they feel are detrimental to the environment, and preventing the destruction of natural resources – at all times reaffirming their belief that nature deserves a spokesperson.

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HASDER, North Cyprus

January 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

HASDER, otherwise known as The Folk Arts Association, has been in existence since 1977 and is based in the centre of Lefkoşa.  Originally with just a few members, the group’s aims are to promote Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot folklore through study, research and public participation.

They are now recognised as the most prominent organisation in North Cyprus for everything related to folklore – from dancing to crafts – and they have done much to bring original traditions back to life and to the forefront of today’s culture, particularly through their strong connections within the youth community.

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Zakad, North Cyprus

January 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Zakad, or the Olive Tree Protection and Research Association, was formed in 2003 by Cenk Soykut and other Turkish Cypriot friends, all of whom were concerned about the destruction of the ancient olive tree population in North Cyprus.  Due to the major rise in property construction, trees that had been growing for hundreds of years were being felled, making way for apartment blocks and houses.

For centuries the olive tree in Cyprus has been instrumental in the island’s fortunes with its fruit and the oil from it being major exports in the past for example.  Some olive trees are still harvested today, but only to provide olives and oil for the local markets.  And in the meantime, the population of trees has been severely reduced due to illegal felling and the olive tree’s use as one of the best woods for heating homes.It became a registered concern in North Cyprus in 2005, and

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Friends of SPOT, North Cyprus

January 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

SPOT, or the Society for the Protection of Turtles, is an organisation that has been involved in sea turtle monitoring and protection in North Cyprus since the late 1980s.  It was founded by the late Ian Bell and his wife Celia.  They asked for the help of the Marine Turtle Research Group in conjunction with the government to enable more research and conversation measures in 1992, and since that time yearly projects have been run during nesting seasons.

Many people will be familiar with the marine conversation efforts each year, with volunteer students from the UK arriving en masse to Alagadi Beach to help with the conservation all over North Cyprus.  They study and give the practical help needed to enable these wonderful sea creatures to emerge unscathed from their nests, and to reach the shoreline safely upon hatching so that they can hopefully live for many years, returning to North Cyprus to give birth to their own young in the future.  You can find out more about SPOT and their turtle watching scheme in our related article.

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