The “July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day Library,” established by Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) within the Travnik Mixed High School in Travnik, Bosnia and Herzegovina, was inaugurated with a ceremony.
With 900 students and 70 teachers, Travnik Mixed High School is one of the most well-established high schools in Travnik. The school opened the library, established by TİKA, to provide its students access to approximately 40,000 books in the school’s inventory, employing a modern approach to librarianship. Approximately 100 students receive Turkish education every year at the high school, where Turkish lessons are also part of the curriculum.
In the newly established “July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day Library,” a special section on July 15 was created within the “Turkish Library Area” with contributions from the Yunus Emre Institute. This section aims to accurately convey the treacherous coup attempt launched by FETÖ against our state and nation to young generations.
The opening ceremony of the library was attended by Turkish Ambassador to Sarajevo, Sadık Babür Girgin; Prime Minister of Central Bosnia Canton, Tahir Lendo; Mayor of Travnik, Kenan Dautović; TİKA’s Coordinator in Sarajevo, Erdinç Işık and representatives from institutions of both countries.
As part of the program, a July 15 Photography Exhibition and a documentary titled “I Was There That Night,” which recounts the events of that night through the eyes of Bosnian students who witnessed the July 15th coup attempt, were also screened.
In his speech, Turkish Ambassador to Sarajevo Sadık Babür Girgin stated that the solidarity and cooperation between the two countries will continue with the library established by TİKA in Travnik Mixed High School, the largest high school in the historic city of Travnik.
Prime Minister of Central Bosnia Canton Tahir Lendo mentioned that in the library named after July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day, students will have the opportunity to learn about the events of July 15th in detail.
Lendo expressed his gratitude to the friendly and brotherly Republic of Türkiye for its continuous support to Bosnia and Herzegovina and wished that this brotherhood would continue forever.
Mayor of Travnik, Kenan Dautović, expressed his great happiness for the opening of the library, which also includes Turkish works, and thanked the Republic of Türkiye for always standing by Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In cooperation with Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Liberia and the BLISS Foundation, a Coconut transformation workshop was established to employ disadvantaged women.
Fifty women will work in the workshop located in the countryside of the capital, Monrovia. Villagers from nearby areas can bring their Coconuts to the workshop to be processed into oil or powder.
With the machinery provided, the Coconuts can be sold at three times their original value when converted into oil and at twice their value when turned into powder. Additionally, leftover shells and leaves will be used as animal feed.
Fredrica Perkins-Modad, President of BLISS Foundation, thanked the project partners for their support in establishing the workshop and emphasized the importance of the machines. Perkins-Modad stated that these machines will add value to the products and prevent product loss.
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) provided technical equipment to the orthopedic surgery department of Mokowe Hospital in Lamu, Kenya.
TİKA supplied advanced surgical equipment, emergency response tools and medical drugs to the orthopedic surgery department of Mokowe Hospital.
Originally left unfinished in the 1970s, the hospital was completed and began operations after the Lamu Governorate intervened. The hospital’s strategic location on the highway positions it to play a central role in treating orthopedic injuries, particularly those resulting from traffic accidents.
On July 12th, the hospital, officially inaugurated by Lamu Governor Issa Timamy, conducted its first orthopedic surgical procedures. The medical and surgical equipment provided by TİKA at the request of the Lamu Governorate contributed to the launch of the hospital’s orthopedic surgery department.
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) has signed a cooperation protocol with the Korçë Provincial Council Presidency to promote youth involvement in agriculture and modern beekeeping in the Korçë region of Albania. The educational process, which marks the first phase of the project, has now started.
During the ceremony held at the Korçë Governorate building, the President of the Korçë Provincial Council, Erjon Nexhipi and TİKA’s Coordinator in Tirana, Mustafa Ata signed a cooperation protocol for the project and inaugurated the educational process.
The opening program was attended by Professor Nevruz Zeka of Fan S. Noli University of Korçë; Kledian Kosturi, President of the Association of Beekeepers of Korçë, employees of the Provincial Council of Korçë and young trainees.
In Korçë, the seventh most populous city in Albania, located in the south of the country and comprising six municipalities, young people are migrating to European countries due to unemployment. Beekeeping is an important source of livelihood in Korçë, where 52,000 bee colonies are maintained.
In this context, 30 young people -7 women and 23 men- selected from Korçë city and its 6 municipalities, particularly those facing economic challenges, relying on municipal support and lacking university education, will undergo a 3-week training in beekeeping through this project.
During the training process, TİKA will provide each trainee with one beehive and basic beekeeping equipment. Following theoretical and practical training, at the conclusion of the 6-week follow-up period, each participant will receive an additional four beehives. In total, 150 beehives and basic beekeeping equipment will be distributed to the trainees.
The project aims to offer vocational training to young people facing economic hardship and lacking university education, aiming to prevent migration, support the local beekeeping sector and enhance honey production in the region.
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) has enhanced the training and technical infrastructure of the Violinmusic4all Music Education Center for Children with Disabilities.
TİKA provided musical instruments and technical equipment to the Violinmusic4all Music Education Center for Children with Disabilities in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. The center, which aims to treat children and young people with various physical and/or mental disabilities, especially those who are hearing impaired, through music education and to help integrate them into society, was provided with musical instruments and technical equipment for students who continue their education from the hospital.
Initially developed by a Croatian violin teacher for the hearing impaired, music education based not on hearing and tonality but on vibration and touch is being implemented by hospitals and treatment centers as a complementary/supportive method due to its successful results in the education and rehabilitation of the disabled.
This approach allows children and young people with disabilities to continue their education while accelerating their treatment and many are subsequently employed as special music education teachers.
With the support provided by TİKA, both face-to-face and distance education at the center have become more efficient. Following the completion of the project, Violinmusic4all students performed a well-attended concert accompanied by the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, receiving great acclaim.
In Dakar, the capital of Senegal, three classrooms renovated by Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) at the Handicrafts Training Center (CFA), which provides vocational training for young people, have been inaugurated.
Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, Minister of Family and Social Services; Mountaga Diao, Senegalese Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts and TİKA’s Vice President Rahman Nurdun participated in the opening ceremony of the project.
As part of the project, a total of 130 items of equipment were provided to the woodworking, wickerworking, sewing, leatherworking and jewelry-making workshops to enhance the capacity of CFA, which offers vocational training for young people aged 18-25, to produce handicraft products. Additionally, the floors and side walls of three classroom workshops at the center were extensively renovated, and the overall physical conditions were improved.
The renovated workshops will significantly contribute to equipping young people with vocational skills in handicrafts and addressing unemployment.
Products to be exhibited at the African Culture House
Minister Göktaş stated that handicraft training contributes to preventing youth unemployment. She noted that the project will enhance the quality of training in ceramics, leather goods manufacturing, jewelry and tailoring with the products to be exhibited and sold at the African Culture House.
Senegalese Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts Diao expressed gratitude to Emine Erdoğan for supporting projects for African women and emphasized the importance of handicrafts to the Senegalese economy.
About the Senegal Handicrafts Training Center
The Senegal Handicrafts Training Center has been providing vocational training in the field of handicrafts since 1961. Each year, 50 master trainers at the center offer training to 375 trainees in tailoring, leather goods processing, shoe design, woodworking, pottery, vase and ceramic product design and jewelry design.
Handicraft products with commercial value produced through this project will be purchased by the African Culture House and sold in Türkiye, with the proceeds returned to the Senegal Handicrafts Training Center.
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) provided vehicle support to the Zagreb Autism Association in the capital city of Zagreb, Croatia.
The Autism Association of Zagreb was founded in 1997 to provide access to social services for people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families across Croatia. Supporting an average of 40 beneficiaries and their families per year, the association is recognized as the first and only non-governmental organization in the country.
The association has established housing areas outside of Zagreb to facilitate education and treatment through various programs, away from environmental impacts. A key factor in enhancing the effectiveness of training and treatment for individuals with ASD is maintaining an environment free from triggers that could worsen their conditions. The housing areas established by the association for this purpose are located far from the city center, causing transportation difficulties.
TİKA provided a vehicle to facilitate the transportation of beneficiaries to the training center, housing areas and health units, ensuring the sustainability of their education and treatment.
With TİKA’s support, access to the training center, housing areas and health units has been improved for the beneficiaries.
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) continues to implement educational projects in Pakistan’s Sindh province.
The digital library established by TİKA in the Karachi Education Complex, operated by the Karachi-based Baitussalam Foundation, was inaugurated with the participation of TİKA’s Vice President, Dr. Ümit Naci Yorulmaz; TİKA’s Coordinator in Karachi, Halil İbrahim Başaran and President of the Baitussalam Foundation, Maulana Abdul Sattar. The complex serves approximately 5,000 students.
In his speech at the opening ceremony, TİKA’s Vice President Yorulmaz emphasized that sustainability is the most important feature of TİKA projects.
After observing the structure and organization of the large, student-rich educational complex, Yorulmaz expressed his confidence in the sustainability of the library. He also thanked the administrators and teachers of the Baitussalam Foundation for the opportunity to establish a library in such an educational complex.
In his speech, Abdul Sattar, President of the Baitussalam Foundation, stated that since the foundation’s establishment, they have collaborated with various public and private institutions in Türkiye and Pakistan and had the opportunity to strengthen the friendship between the two countries.
Abdul Sattar added that the Baitussalam Foundation is very pleased with the support provided by TİKA to educational institutions.
After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the library, which was digitized with computers provided by TİKA, was opened for students.
The library is expected to contribute to the education of Pakistani students with its thousands of books and online resources.
TİKA’s Activities in Pakistan
Since opening its Karachi office in 2019, TİKA has completed dozens of projects in Pakistan and continues to support this friendly and brotherly country in the field of education, a crucial element of social development. TİKA has implemented nearly 800 development projects across Pakistan to date.
As part of a project supported by Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), equipment, on-the-job training and technology transfer were provided to the Kraya Agricultural Cooperative operating in Cambodia.
TİKA has launched a significant project to enhance economic production infrastructures in Cambodia. As part of this initiative, equipment, on-the-job training and technology transfer were provided to the Kraya Agricultural Cooperative. The cooperative, with its 147 members, aims to produce high-value-added products using cashew as the primary raw material.
TİKA, CIWODA (Cambodia Islamic Women Development Association) and the Royal University of Agriculture attended the delivery ceremony of the project, which was realized in cooperation with TİKA, CIWODA and the Royal University of Agriculture. The event was attended by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Representative, Man Navy; Onur Sezer from the Turkish Embassy in Phnom Penh; Kampong Thom Deputy Governor, Prem Rotha; CIWODA Permanent Vice-President, Man Chinda and TİKA experts Burak Sarıtarla and Mehmet Ali Yetiş.
Scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2025, the project will be followed by training sessions and participation in exhibitions to enhance the cooperative’s marketing capabilities and ensure market-quality production.
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) provided medical equipment to Deynile Hospital, located in the Deynile region of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. The hospital has been serving the community since 2003.
Deynile Hospital in Mogadishu, serving a population of over 100,000 people living in IDP camps, received intensive care unit equipment for the first time.
Thanks to the intensive care beds, patient monitors, mechanical ventilators, infusion pumps, defibrillators, electrocardiogram machines and other medical equipment provided by TİKA, the hospital can now offer emergency health services more effectively. With this support, patients can now receive necessary treatment without needing to be transferred to the hospitals in the city center.
TİKA’s efforts to strengthen the health sector in Somalia aim to improve the quality of life for Somali citizens. The intensive care unit support for Deynile Hospital demonstrates Türkiye’s commitment to humanitarian aid and development cooperation in the international arena.
Excavations conducted in Mongolia’s Tuul Valley by Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), in collaboration with İzmir Katip Çelebi University (İKÇÜ) and the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, have confirmed that the site is the city of “Togu Balık,” where the Toquz Oghuz lived and fought with the Gokturks.
Academics from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at İKÇÜ have commenced their work with the support of TİKA under a protocol for joint excavations in Mongolia.
A team of 30 people participated in the excavations at the ruins in the Tuul Valley of Mongolia, believed to be the city of Togu Balık, associated with the Toquz Oghuz (the tribes that founded the Uyghurs), as referenced in the Bilge Khagan and Kul Tigin inscriptions.
The ongoing studies aim to provide detailed information about the lifestyles of the ancient Turks, including their beliefs, cult of the dead and urban development.
The research spans an area of 100 square kilometers covering the ruins of cities on both sides of the Tuul River and the surrounding Mayhan, Tömst and Agit mountains.
“There are countless cultural assets from the ancient Turks”
Prof. Dr. Şaban Doğan, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at İKÇÜ and head of the excavation project, stated that Mongolia, which has been home to many Turkic states and communities and is where the sacred Otuken is located, contains countless cultural assets. These include city ruins, monumental tomb complexes, kurgans and petroglyphs dating back to the ancient Turks.
“We found artifacts proving it is Togu Balık”
Doğan explained that their goal is to unearth Togu Balık, mentioned in the Bilge Khagan and Kul Tigin inscriptions, whose location had not been determined until now.
“Togu Balık, mentioned in historical sources but whose exact location was previously unknown, is much older than the known Uyghur cities. The unearthing and excavation of this city will push back our findings on the settled life of the Uyghurs by at least 100 years. We have conducted field surveys and literature reviews on this area for a long time. Some studies had previously mentioned finds in the region that could be associated with the Uyghur period but did not provide detailed information. We have managed to uncover artifacts that prove this region to be Togu Balık. In the remains of a building we excavated, we found Uyghur ceramics that have been definitively linked to the structure. Both Turkish and Mongolian archaeologists on our team agree on this. We can now confidently say that this is the city of Togu Balık of the Toquz Oghuz. We consider this a highly significant discovery. It will provide new insights into the transition of the Turks to a settled lifestyle,” he said.
The Zoological Diversity Laboratory and Animal Shelter, built by Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) at the Women University in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, were inaugurated with a ceremony.
TİKA’s Vice President, Dr. Ümit Naci Yorulmaz; Rector of the University, Prof. Dr. Anila Kamal; Islamabad Coordinator, Muhsin Balcı, faculty members and students attended the opening ceremony held at the Women University in Rawalpindi.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, TİKA’s Vice President Yorulmaz stated that TİKA supports initiatives to empower women and that he was pleased to share the experiences of both countries.
Yorulmaz said, “Women’s empowerment plays a vital role in the development of societies and sustainable development. By supporting women’s education and economic participation through such projects, Pakistan and Türkiye are contributing to building a strong and equitable future.
The laboratory will provide scientific research opportunities, especially for graduate and doctoral students, in various sub-disciplines of zoology such as beekeeping, microbiology, cell culture, physiology, endocrinology, reproductive physiology, animal diversity and animal behaviour.
Additionally, an animal shelter was built within the Department of Zoology as part of the project.
About Rawalpindi Women University
Rawalpindi Women University consists of two academic departments: the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Humanities Social Sciences. The university, which educates nearly 5,000 female students from across Pakistan, was granted the university status by the government of Punjab in 2019.
Currently, the university has 15 science faculties, as well as 16 undergraduate and 10 master’s programs.
