TİKA Put a Smile on the Faces of Families and Students in Agadez, Niger

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) delivered food aid to 300 families in need and provided food and supplies to Inkadewan Primary School in Agadez, Niger.

Niger is among the least developed countries due to reasons such as lack of food, low-volume industry, rapid population growth, poor education conditions, and underdevelopment of industries other than agriculture and livestock. According to the United Nations, 45 percent of the population of the country live in poverty.

Due to the recent acute drought in the country, agricultural activities cannot be carried out continuously or can only be carried out during the limited rainy season.

The city of Agadez, which is located in northern Niger and is an important center for the historical relations between Türkiye and Africa, is among the regions most affected by climate challenges.

In order to alleviate the food crisis in the region in the spiritual atmosphere of Ramadan, TİKA met the food needs of 300 families in need in Agadez during Ramadan by delivering food aid parcels containing staples such as rice, sugar, pasta, oil, and tomato paste.

The Food Distribution Ceremony was attended by Mustafa Türker Arı, the Republic of Türkiye’s Ambassador to Niamey; İrfan Pamuk, TİKA’s Coordinator in Niamey; Celal Orhun Ecemiş, Chief Physician of Niger-Türkiye Friendship Hospital; Bayram Erdem, Representative of Maarif Schools in Niger; and Oumarou Ibrahim Oumarou, Sultan of Agadez.

Oumarou Ibrahim Oumarou, Sultan of Agadez, and the families to whom food aid was delivered expressed their gratitude to the Republic of Türkiye and the Turkish people through TİKA.

Food Aid and Supplies for a Primary School

Children who have to migrate constantly together with their families to find fertile pastures in nomadic communities, especially the Tuareg people, in Aïr in northern Niger cannot receive healthy and continuous education.

Inkadewan Primary School, which was built by the municipalities in Aïr in cooperation with UNICEF in order to solve the education problem faced by children, provide boarded education for the children of nomadic families.

Upon the call of Oumarou Ibrahim Oumarou, Sultan of Aïr (Agadez), TİKA developed a project for the refurbishment of the completed school and sent 150 beds, 150 mats, 150 blankets, 3 tonnes of rice, 1 tonnes of millets, 1 tonnes of sugar, dozens of boxes of pasta, milk, tea, oil, and cleaning supplies to the school. Kitchen supplies such as pots, knives, plates, water tanks, spoons, and glasses were also provided for the school’s cafeteria.

The delivery ceremony held for the basic supplies and food items to be provided for nearly 150 children was attended by Mustafa Türker Arı, the Republic of Türkiye’s Ambassador to Niamey; İrfan Pamuk, TİKA’s Coordinator in Niamey; Celal Orhun Ecemiş, Chief Physician of Niger-Türkiye Friendship Hospital; Bayram Erdem, Representative of Maarif Schools in Niger; Oumarou Ibrahim Oumarou, Sultan of Agadez; and prominent figures in Agadez.

Children and school administrators greeted the Turkish delegation with great joy and enthusiasm and thanked Türkiye and the Turkish people for the supplies.

The project aims to ensure the social integration of the children of nomadic families who study at Inkadewane Primary School, to provide them with a healthy education, recreation, and accommodation environment, and to meet their needs for fresh water/food.