The kitchen section of the BKSZC Mátyás Szamos Technical College and Vocational Training School in Hungary was renewed with the support of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA).
The kitchen section of the BKSZC Mátyás Szamos Technical College and Vocational Training School, established in 1965 and operating in the hotel management sector since 1990, was extended and provided with modern equipment within the scope of the modernization efforts.
The school, which is named after a well-known expert in the Hungarian confectionery industry, Mátyás Szamos, provides high school-level education in the fields of tourism, hotel management, pastry, waitering, executive chef training and cookery.
The opening ceremony
Officials from the Republic of Türkiye’s Embassy in Budapest, officials from the BKSZC Mátyás Szamos Technical College and TİKA’s Budapest Coordination Office, students and teachers attended the opening ceremony of the project.
Following the opening ceremony, activities organized within the scope of Turkish Cuisine Week started. Within this context, teachers from the Bolu, Mengen and Yeniçağa Culinary Vocational and Technical Anatolian Schools presented examples of Aegean cuisine and introduced Turkish cuisine.
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) provided food packages to 1,000 Sudanese families seeking shelter in Chad.
TİKA, in cooperation with the “National Commission for the Reception and Reintegration of Refugees and Returnees (CNARR)”, provided 30 tons of essential food aid to Sudanese refugees.
The food parcels, distributed to 1,000 families residing in the Gaga Refugee Camp in Amleyouna in the province of Ouaddaï, contain staple food such as flour, rice, sugar, oil, salt, and pasta.
Through TİKA’s food aid, the staple food needs of Sudanese refugees were met, and Chad’s public institutions were supported in their efforts regarding migration, refugees and displaced people.
Sudanese refugees placed in various camps in different regions of Chad by public authorities continue to live under severe conditions. The number of Sudanese refugees who fled from the civil war in Sudan in 2023 and took shelter in Chad has exceeded half a million after a year.
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) delivered humanitarian aid to 500 families affected by the flood disaster in the province of Ghor, Afghanistan.
In the province of Ghor, severely affected by recent floods in Afghanistan, more than 50 people lost their lives, and the houses and workplaces of thousands of families became uninhabitable.
Taking action to heal the wounds of the disaster, TİKA’s Herat Office provided emergency humanitarian aid to the province of Ghor in western Afghanistan.
Supplies sufficient for 500 families were prepared and set out to be dispatched to Ghor. The 21-ton humanitarian aid truck contains tents, steamer pots, blankets, rice, oil, sugar, pasta and portable camping lanterns.
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) improved the physical conditions of the Jardim de Ensino Islamico An-Najah (JEIAN) institution, which continues its educational activities in Dili, the capital of East Timor, and provided equipment support to the institution.
This marks TİKA’s first project in East Timor, a Southeast Asian country that became independent in 2002.
The physical conditions of the service building of JEIAN, providing education under the Fundaçao An-Najah institution, were improved in East Timor, where Muslims constitute 1% of the population. TİKA expanded the existing building and met the equipment needs of the classrooms.
Expressing his appreciation for the support, the Head of the An-Najah Education Institution, Arif Abdullah Sagran thanked to TİKA and the Republic of Türkiye.
Serkan Kayalar, the President of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), held bilateral meetings and inaugurated TİKA’s projects in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, during his formal visits.
Within the scope of his program, Kayalar first met with Türkiye’s Ambassador to Bishkek, Mr. Ahmet Sadık Doğan.
After the meeting, Ambassador Doğan and TİKA’s President Serkan Kayalar visited Boobek Azhikeev, the Minister of Emergency Situations of Kyrgyzstan. Kayalar inaugurated the country’s first “Mobile Hyperbaric Pressure Chamber,” established by TİKA within the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
The “Mobile Hyperbaric Pressure Chamber,” provided by TİKA, was delivered to officials with a ceremony held in front of the Ministry of Emergency Situations building.
The Minister of Emergency Situations of Kyrgyzstan, Boobek Azhikeev; Türkiye’s Ambassador to Bishkek, Ahmet Sadık Doğan; TİKA’s President Serkan Kayalar; TİKA’s Program Coordinator in Bishkek, Mehmet Bodur and ministry personnel attended the delivery ceremony.
Speaking at the ceremony, Azhikeev stated that the “Mobile Hyperbaric Pressure Chamber,” brought from Türkiye by TİKA and delivered to the ministry, is of vital importance for treating pressure-related illnesses such as the bends and air embolism experienced by divers.
Highlighting that Türkiye displays the best example of friendship and solidarity, Azhikeev expressed his gratitude to TİKA’s President Kayalar, who contributed to the delivery of the “Mobile Hyperbaric Pressure Chamber”.
Stating that they have been implementing significant projects in healthcare, education, economy, culture and many other fields in Kyrgyzstan, TİKA’s President Kayalar noted that the technical infrastructure facilities of the diving service unit of the Ministry of Emergency Situations have been improved thanks to the project.
Following the inauguration, the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Edil Baisalov met with TİKA’s President Kayalar.
Stating that Türkiye is a strategic partner of Kyrgyzstan, Baisalov said, “TİKA has carried out important projects in healthcare, education, culture, social and other fields in Kyrgyzstan within the scope of years of cooperation.”
Expressing that the interaction between TİKA and Kyrgyzstan should be further strengthened, Baisalov stated his belief that TİKA’s projects in Kyrgyzstan will contribute to the country’s socio-economic development.
Expressing his gratitude for the hospitality, Kayalar emphasized the importance of further improving and strengthening the cooperation.
During the meeting, steps that can be taken to enhance cooperation among the institutions in the Turkic World were discussed.
TİKA’s President Kayalar completed the first day of his program in Kyrgyzstan by visiting the tomb of Chinghiz Aitmatov, the great writer of the Turkic World, and the Ata-Beyit Memorial Complex, where 138 Kyrgyz intellectuals were buried after they were executed in 1938.
Starting the second day of his program in Kyrgyzstan by visiting the Bishkek Kyrgyz-Turkish Friendship Hospital, TİKA’s President Kayalar received a briefing about the hospital’s activities from the Chief Physician Spc. Dr. Samet Yılmaz.
At the hospital, established and equipped by TİKA in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, more than 35,000 patients have received treatment.
Meeting with the Rector of Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University, Prof. Dr. Alpaslan Ceylan, TİKA’s President Kayalar visited the training greenhouse, furniture and welding workshops established by TİKA within the university, and received a briefing about the activities carried out there.
– “Cezeri Laboratory” Was Inaugurated
The opening ceremony of the “Cezeri Laboratory,” established within Iskhak Razzakov State Technical University by TİKA, was held with the participation of TİKA’s President Serkan Kayalar, the Minister of Education and Science of Kyrgyzstan, Dogdurkul Kendirbayeva and the Rector of Iskhak Razzakov State Technical University, Prof. Dr. Mirlan Chynybaev.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, TİKA’s President Kayalar stated that the “Cezeri-LAB” will give students and researchers the opportunity to turn their dreams into reality. He also noted that the laboratory has been established in 17 different countries so far and it takes its name from al-Jazari, considered as the “Father of Robotics”.
Kayalar also expressed that they will continue to support scientific and industrial production-oriented infrastructures of friendly and brotherly countries.
– “Seeing Hands” project by TİKA for visually and hearing impaired individuals
Within the scope of the project “Seeing Hands,” TİKA renovated a room within the Library of Kyrgyzstan Association of Visually and Hearing Impaired People, and established a Braille alphabet reading room and a recording studio.
The Vice Minister of Labour, Social Security and Migration of Kyrgyzstan, Bakıt Darmanbekuulu and officials from the Association of Visually and Hearing Impaired People attended the project’s opening program.
– Family Health Center from TİKA in Kyrgyzstan
The “Kyrgyz-Turkish Friendship Family Health Center,” built by TİKA in the village of Lyuksemburg in the Chüy region, was put into service with a ceremony. The Minister of Health of Kyrgyzstan, Alymkadyr Beishenaliev; Türkiye’s Ambassador to Bishkek, Ahmet Sadık Doğan; TİKA’s President, Serkan Kayalar; the Vice Governor of Chüy Region, Gülmira Kıştobayeva; the President of the Association of Kyrgyzstan Meskhetian Turks, Atamsha Dursunov; the Chief Physician of the Bishkek Kyrgyz-Turkish Friendship Hospital, Samet Yılmaz; TİKA’s Program Coordinator in Bishkek, Mehmet Bodur and local residents attended the opening ceremony.
Speaking at the ceremony, Kayalar said, “We are glad to help the people of the region have access to higher quality and accessible health services with our project named after the ancient friendship between two brotherly countries.”
The Kyrgyz authorities expressed their gratitude to Türkiye and Kayalar for the Family Health Center, which was a need for the people of the region.
Completing his program by visiting TİKA’s Program Coordination Office in Bishkek, TİKA’s President Kayalar received a briefing about the projects carried out by the Bishkek Program Coordination Office in education, agriculture, healthcare and social fields.
With the support of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), the Goldsmithery and Jewelry Design Vocational School was opened in the town of Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape region of South Africa.
TİKA installed the gas system and provided all the equipment for two classrooms at the Mdantsane Goldsmithery and Jewelry Design Vocational School, which was established in cooperation with the NGO named TASCI (The African Show Coalition Institute).
The Mdantsane Goldsmithery and Jewelry Design Vocational School became ready for education after South Africa’s Mining Qualification Authority (MQA) inspected the school, issued certificates and examined candidate students. The school stands out as the first school in the Eastern Cape Region to receive the MQA certificate.
Education and scholarship opportunities
101 students who pass the exam will attend the jewelry design training with brass and copper in the first year. Students who complete the silversmithing course in the second year and the goldsmithing course in the third year will graduate. The MQA will provide scholarships to students during their training.
An opening ceremony was held
The Deputy Mayor of Buffalo City, Helen Neale-May; Türkiye’s Ambassador to Pretoria, Ayşegül Kandaş; TİKA’s Coordinator in Pretoria, Abdulkadir Abukan; the Head of TASCI, Bathandwa Kwababa, local authorities and local press attended the opening ceremony held at the Mdantsane Goldsmithery and Jewelry Design Vocational School.
Head of TASCI, Kwababa expressed her gratitude to TİKA for helping realize a dream. Deputy Mayor of Buffalo City, Neale-May also expressed her appreciation for the projects Türkiye has been implementing in their region and thanked the Turkish people.
TİKA’s Coordinator in South Africa, Abukan emphasized the importance of vocational education in South Africa, which has been struggling with high unemployment and school dropout rates. He noted the need for quality craftsmanship in Türkiye’s growing jewelry sector.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Kandaş stated that TİKA has been actively operating in all regions of South Africa with development projects, and she underlined TİKA’s initiatives especially those aimed at women and youth.
About Mdantsane
The town of Mdantsane, where the vocational school is located, is the second most densely populated suburb in South Africa with a population of 2.2 million. This situation causes very high unemployment rates. It is estimated that vocational training in Jewelry Design will help reduce unemployment and increase the local processing capacity of South Africa’s rich natural underground resources.
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) provided sports materials to Mihajlo Pupin Elementary School, which was selected as the most successful school in the Zemun region of Serbia, having won more than 150 trophies as well as numerous medals.
Located in the Zemun district of Belgrade, Mihajlo Pupin Elementary School has been providing education since 2009 with 40 classrooms, 1,120 students and 68 teachers. Thanks to their success in sports competitions in recent years, the school won the title of the most successful school in the Zemun region.
TİKA provided various sports equipment and materials to Mihajlo Pupin Elementary School, whose sports infrastructure has not been improved since its establishment, to support the activities of these outstandingly successful students and to encourage more students to take an interest in sports by keeping them away from bad habits.
Within this scope, various sports materials such as a concrete ping pong table and accessories, basketball hoops, custom jerseys, exercise balls and mats, skipping ropes, hula hoops, badminton sets, volleyballs, basketballs, footballs, handballs and archery sets were delivered to the administrators of Mihajlo Pupin Elementary School.
Speaking at the delivery ceremony, the Republic of Türkiye’s Ambassador to Belgrade, Hami Aksoy referred to TİKA’s activities in Belgrade, and stated that they are glad to provide sports materials to the students of Mihajlo Pupin Elementary School. He noted that the school, named after a Serbian scientist, has achieved success in many types of sports.
School Principal Momir Filipović expressed that students will attend physical education lessons more eagerly thanks to the sports materials provided by TİKA, and these materials will contribute greatly to their success. Filipović and the teachers expressed their gratitude to the Turkish people and TİKA for the project implemented.
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), in collaboration with the Manuscript Institution of Türkiye and the Directorate of State Archives, provided training to a total of 8 experts from 5 different institutions who are studying in the field of manuscripts in the cities of Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi in Pakistan.
Within the scope of the “Preservation of Manuscripts in Pakistan Program” commenced by TİKA in 2024, the “Technical Training on Preventive Protection Measures in Preservation of Manuscripts” was provided to a total of 8 Pakistani experts from 5 different institutions who are studying in the field of manuscripts in Istanbul, Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. The training program was organized in collaboration with the Directorate of Manuscript Institution of Türkiye and the Directorate of State Archives.
Within the training program organized by the Department of Manuscript Conservation and Archives of the Directorate of Manuscript Institution of Türkiye, practical trainings such as preservation, maintenance and restoration practices of manuscripts; pest control in warehouses; appropriate conditions for storing manuscripts; dry cleaning practises; documentation activities and protective box making were held.
Practical training sessions on the classification of manuscript documents, techniques for maintaining and repairing damaged documents, the digitization and storage of restored documents were given to Pakistani experts at the Directorate of State Archives’ campus in Kağıthane, Istanbul.
The 7-day training program aimed to provide Pakistani experts with comprehensive knowledge and experience in the latest applications meeting international ethical standards which are applied by Türkiye in the preservation of manuscripts.
Experts from the University of Punjab in Lahore, the National Museum of Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad, Karachi National Museum of Pakistan and the National Archives in Karachi attended the training program. In the period following the training program, it is planned to implement follow-up projects such as practical training programs in Pakistan on manuscript preservation and providing essential equipment support.
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) renovated the lecturers’ room in the Turkology Department of L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, one of the largest universities in Kazakhstan, located in the capital Astana, and provided equipment support.
The wife of Numan Kurtulmuş, the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, Prof. Dr. Sevgi Kurtulmuş; the Vice Rector of the University, Duman Aıtmagambetov; the wife of Mustafa Kapucu, the Republic of Türkiye’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Ahu Kapucu; TİKA’s Coordinator in Kazakhstan, Hikmet Özdenoğlu, professors, students and many other guests attended the opening ceremony.
Established in 2010, the Turkology department provides education in undergraduate, graduate and PhD programs with its 15 faculty members. 101 students are currently studying in the department, which has had a total of 382 graduates since its establishment.
L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, one of the top three universities in Kazakhstan and located in the capital, Astana, has been providing education since 1996. With over 25,000 students enrolled, the university offers undergraduate, graduate and PhD programs. The university hosts 13 faculties, a Scientific Research Institute, a research center, a laboratory and culture and education centers from various countries. The university, which provides education in Kazakh, English and Russian languages, is ranked 355th in the 2024 QS World University Rankings.
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) provided household goods and kitchen utensils support to families affected by flash floods in Afghanistan.
TİKA provided emergency humanitarian aid to flood victims who are in need due to floods caused by sudden rains in the village of Fülül, in the Burka district of Baghlan province, Afghanistan. Household goods and kitchen utensils such as mattresses, cushions, blankets, pots, and tents were distributed to 300 families.
Four trucks of materials delivered to the disaster area by TİKA were distributed to flood victim families with a ceremony. The Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs and Chief Inspection Officer of the Disaster Area, Mevlevi Şerefüddin Şeref; the Director of Labor and Social Affairs of Baghlan Province, Kari Nusratullah Parsa; TİKA’s Program Coordinator in Mazar-i-Sharif, Mikail Taşdemir and local authorities attended the ceremony.
TİKA’s Program Coordinator in Mazar-i-Sharif, Mikail Taşdemir stated that approximately 3,000 people were affected by the flood, and nearly ten villages were severely damaged. Expressing his wishes for a speedy recovery to the flood victims, Taşdemir noted that as TİKA, they always stand by victims and the oppressed in Afghanistan, and will continue to deliver Türkiye’s humanitarian aid in emergencies.
Highlighting that they always feel the support of the Turkish state and people, Deputy Minister Şeref and Director of Social Affairs Nusratullah Parsa stated that they are grateful for the support, noting that TİKA provided the most extensive support despite the delivery of many other aid materials.
In the region, where natural disasters have occurred due to the recent increase in rainfall in Afghanistan, there has been loss of life and property. More than 300 people have lost their lives due to the flood. It is estimated that an equal number of people are also missing.
The “Respect for Our Mothers and Grandmothers” project, organized by the Akademi Sanat Foundation and supported by Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), was introduced through a special event held at Bellapais Abbey.
The project highlights the traditional motifs and values of Turkish Cypriot culture.
As part of the event, woven sheets taken from mothers’ and grandmothers’ chests, handwoven fabrics, lacework, tablecloths, coffee tablecloths and curtains, which reflect the rich heritage of Turkish Cypriot culture, were displayed alongside modern design pieces.
Speaking at the event, Head of the Akademi Sanat Foundation, Gencay Eroğlu expressed his gratitude to TİKA and everyone who contributed to the project. President of the TRNC, Ersin Tatar, who also gave a speech at the event, emphasized that preserving Turkish Cypriot culture, art and traditions and passing them on to the next generations is a great wealth and success. Tatar expressed his gratitude to all who contributed.
The mushroom production project was commenced, in cooperation with Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), the Kilis Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and the Azaz Local Council in Azaz, Syria.
As food safety has become one of the primary concerns in every society, this initiative in Azaz aims to contribute to the delivery of safe food in the region. The project, being implemented in cooperation between TİKA, the Kilis Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and the Azaz Local Council, aims to improve the standard of living for local people by highlighting the nutritional and commercial value of mushrooms.
The project’s significance is not limited to ensuring food safety. The project also aims to contribute to the economic and social development of rural areas in Azaz. Mushroom production stands out as a production model which will enliven the local economy by providing a new source of income for farmers and enhancing employment in the region.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the project, the Chairman of the Azaz Local Council, Muhammad Hamdan Yusuf stated that this initiative is a promising step for the future of the region. He also expressed his gratitude to TİKA and the Kilis Provincial Directorate of Agriculture for their contributions to the project.
