TIKA helps hundreds of people get access to clean water in Cameroon
Turkey’s state-run aid agency has opened a well in the central African country of Cameroon as part of a clean water project.
Turkey’s Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) inaugurated the well in a section of the capital Yaounde with the attendance of residents and local officials.
The well is expected to help around 1,000 people get access to clean water, according to the agency.
Speaking at the ceremony, Izzet Ahmet Bozbey, TIKA’s coordinator in Cameroon, underlined the importance of access to clean water for a healthy future.
“This is a gift of the Turkish people to the friendly people of Cameroon,” Bozbey said.
The head of Turkey's state aid agency praises Africa's "great interest" in Turkey.Serdar Cam, head of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), joined the delegation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who arrived on Wednesday in Johannesburg to attend the BRICS summit."We are getting a great interest and affinity [in Africa] which we try to reciprocate," Cam told Anadolu Agency.Speaking about ongoing projects of TIKA on the African continent, Cam said that TIKA is in the process of opening a new office in Zambia.Stating that the fate of Somalia changed after Erdogan visited the country in 2011, Cam said that TIKA will continue to carry projects into effect.Twenty Turkish aid projects in last 6 months in S.AfricaTurkish institute brings Turkey, South Africa closerSpeaking about the TIKA's works, which are carried out across the continent, Cam recalled the first office of the agency which was opened in Ethiopia in 2005.Cam said that various projects were implemented through the nearly 25 offices across the continent."In every field, including agriculture, health, husbandry, education, strengthening infrastructure and government capacity, we are sharing all these experiences of our state," he said.Fight against FETÖCam said that Turkey's cooperation with African countries will increase and TIKA will continue to support development projects there.Speaking about the fight against Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) -- the group behind the defeated coup attempt of July 2016 -- Cam said that Turkey is fighting the terrorist organization effectively with its institutions."Our institutions like TIKA, Maarif Foundation, Yunus Emre and YTB are working to contribute positively to this process by actively doing good work against this treacherous organization (FETÖ) which deceived the world for many years on the field," he said.Established in 1992, Turkey's government-run aid agency is responsible for implementing Turkey's developmental cooperation policies overseas. The agency carries out development cooperation activities in 170 countries via its 62 program coordination offices in 59 countries across five continents.
Turkish aid agency cheers Africa's interest in Turkey
Turkey’s aid agency is doing good work in a wide variety of areas in South Africa, from education to health and from art to sports.Over 20 projects have been realized in the last six months, Mehmet Akif Sekerci, the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency’s (TIKA) coordinator in South Africa, told Anadolu Agency.The projects were conducted by TIKA’s Pretoria Coordination Office in the provinces of Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Cape Town, as well as Lesotho and Swaziland in southern Africa, Sekerci said.“We aim to support the development of South Africa’s health sector with key strategies like building hospitals and clinics as well as technical cooperation in health care,” he said.He also said projects for equipment support, healthcare screening, providing vaccines and medications, and supporting the education of medical experts are ongoing.Telling how TIKA is trying to spread the wisdom, heritage, and culture of Anatolia all over the world, Sekerci said the agency is active in 170 countries with 60 coordination offices, including 22 in Africa alone.- Promoting education and culture“We have met the renovation and equipment needs of the Mohau Child Care Center, which cares for orphans and HIV-infected children,” Sekerci said.Highlighting TIKA’s efforts in education, Sekerci said: “We built new classrooms for preschool children in Pretoria.”“We’re setting up a library in Johannesburg, and we’re also working as the partner of the nationwide ‘read to lead’ campaign and we're cooperating closely with South Africa’s Basic Education Ministry to realize more projects, especially in low-income areas.”He added that TIKA is carrying out projects supporting culture and sports in the country, by -- for instance -- renovating the Bo Kaap Museum in Cape Town and building new club facilities as well as supplying sports equipment.“For all these projects, TIKA expects nothing but to strengthen brotherhood and cooperation between our two nations,” Sekerci said.- Disaster and Emergency Course in SudanAs part of TIKA’s activities in Africa, the agency has completed the third phase of Disaster and Emergency Management training, done with the support of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Statistical Economic and Social Research and Training Center for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), and the Turkish and Sudanese health ministries.According to a TIKA statement, participants in the program included 33 trainees from various cities in Sudan and 14 trainer candidates who showed promise in earlier training.Sudanese medical personnel also contributed to the program, as well as Turkish experts.
Twenty Turkish aid projects in last 6 months in S.Africa
Cameroonian authorities thanked TIKA for the well.
Separately, in the East African country of Uganda, some 35 urology surgeries were performed free of charge as part of another TIKA project, according to the agency.
The surgeries were performed at Naguru Hospital in the capital Kampala on July 21-29 in cooperation with Doctors Worldwide and Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU).
Previously a lack of equipment had put the vitally needed surgeries out of reach.