Turkish aid agency TIKA renovates schools in Pakistan's Karachi

Türkiye's state-run aid agency TIKA has renovated primary and secondary schools in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi.

The schools' renovated buildings were inaugurated on Friday at a ceremony attended by the country's southeastern Sindh province caretaker Education Minister Rana Hussain, Consul General of Türkiye Cemal Sangu, TIKA Karachi Program Coordinator Halil Ibrahim Basaran, and others.

Education Minister Hussain praised the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) for renovating primary and secondary schools belonging to the "Veraval Turk Community" in Karachi, saying they are now "very attractive and interactive."

"Such an environment helps students grow," she said, expressing gratitude to TIKA and the Turkish government for their assistance to Pakistan and its people, according to a TIKA statement.

The Turkish aid agency carried out the renovation work in two schools, whose capacities are now increased to nearly 500 students through the construction of additional floors, reconstruction of old buildings as well as the provision of school furniture.

The aid agency also established a computer laboratory, a modern science laboratory, and a library and installed solar energy on the premises to meet the school’s energy needs.

Turkish Consul General in Karachi Cemal Sangu, while speaking on the occasion, said they have always supported the education sector in Pakistan, adding, “We, as Turkiye, always support and give importance to education as 28 Pak-Turk Maarif Schools are running in Pakistan.”

TIKA's Karachi Coordinator Basaran revealed that the agency has undertaken 30 projects in the education sector.

TIKA to restore historic mosque in Ethiopia

The Turkish aid agency will also undertake a further restoration of the Al Nejashi mosque, which suffered damage during the approximately two-year internal conflict in Ethiopia’s northernmost Tigray region.

Cengiz Polat, TIKA coordinator in the capital Addis Ababa, told Anadolu Agency that they did inspections at the Negash Tomb, prepared a report, and decided to restore the damaged structures after meetings with Tigray authorities.

Getachew Reda, the Tigray regional administration interim head, welcomed the decision to restore the structure, which TIKA previously restored in 2108, before the Tigray conflict, Polat said.

"Measurements, inspections, and technical evaluations have been carried out, and efforts have begun for a second restoration project related to the structures damaged by the war and affected by adverse weather conditions," he added.

The historic mosque, built around the year 615, suffered severe damage during the internal conflict that began in November 2020 in the northern part of the country.

Located in the town of Wukro, 790 kilometres (over 490 miles) north of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, Al Nejashi is said to be the first mosque in Africa. It is named after Nejashi, ruler of the Kingdom of Aksum, who hosted companions of the Prophet Muhammad who escaped persecution in Mecca.

Established in 1992, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) has embodied the cultural and humanitarian principles at the core of the Turkish foreign policy agenda for the past three decades.

With enhanced political and economic stability and a more proactive phase in Turkish foreign policy, TIKA has engaged in progressively extensive and enduring projects and expanded foreign aid initiatives spanning Central Asia, the Balkans, Africa, and various global regions.