By Nihan Cabbaroglu
ANKARA
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, known as TIKA, has finalized a project to provide electricity to schools in the needy Caqueta region of Colombia.
TIKA has started a project “Providing electricity to schools by photovoltaic alternative energy systems and improving the education standards” in July this year, aimed at improving the technological infrastructure of disadvantaged regions so students can avail of electricity.
The project supplied electricity to four schools in two towns. The Puerto Rico and Solano towns of Caqueta are located on the Andean mountain basin and is the most economically impoverished region of the country.
Electricity supplied to the region is generated by solar power and because the region in the highlands is not easily accessible with harsh geographic conditions, the TIKA team found the building of the infrastructure challenging.
Equipment for the project took ten days by truck as well as by mule to reach its destination. On the journey to the Villa Del Rio School, the team had to wait for five days in the trucks for the soil to dry before completing the route.
TIKA officials stated that they aimed to raise hope in the region, especially for the children who lack the facilities of their peers overseas in developed countries. The children can now access and benefit from the internet for cultural activities, such as music.
The children showed their gratitude to TIKA with singing performances, game playing and through art.
The project also became a beacon of hope for regions in similar conditions.
TIKA is engaged in cultural activities in overseas countries and has undertaken projects such as preserving Macedonia's historical heritage, assisting in an educational project in Crimea and delivering medical supplies to the Islamic Medical Center in Lebanon.
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