By Hamza Kyeyune
KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) – A group of Turkish volunteer students visited an orphanage in Luweero, central Uganda, and participated in social, cultural and humanitarian activities.
The Turkish students arrived in Uganda as part of the Experience Sharing Program (ESP), a project run by the Turkish state aid agency, Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), Anadolu Agency, and TRT (Turkish Radio and Television Corporation) among others.
The students also painted and repaired the orphanage, gaining practical skills and sharing their experiences with their hosts.
Merve Kara, a student at Karadeniz Technical University in Trabzon province in northern Türkiye, told Anadolu Agency that she was thrilled by the life-changing experience of volunteering in Uganda.
“Spending time with the orphans and volunteering at the orphanage is invaluable. I would love to come back many more times,” she said.
Esma Nur Yildirim, a student at the University of Inonu in Malatya province in central Türkiye, told Anadolu Agency that they painted the main school entrance and several classrooms.
“We have brought smiles on the faces of many children today. We painted their walls, played with them and learned a new culture through this exchange program,” she said.
Under the program, TIKA is sending some 300 Turkish students from all the 81 provinces in Türkiye to 30 countries between July 1 and Sept. 10 to take part in different projects and activities in their host countries.
Omer Aykon, the TIKA country coordinator in Uganda, said the project aims to create a space where children can be happy and have an opportunity to learn life skills.
“The emotional situation of the orphans changed today, and this is what we work for every day. We will continue supporting life-changing projects like this to better the living conditions of orphans,” he said.
The students under the Experience Sharing Program (ESP) will participate in social, cultural and humanitarian activities and renovate schools, orphanages, libraries and places of worship in the host countries.