September 19, 2013 - Amerika Bülteni
The Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) grant award of $150,000 (USD) to Strategies for International Development (SID) a DC-based not-for-profit that helps alleviate rural poverty in Central and South America. This is the first time TIKA has awarded a grant to a country in Latin America.
In honor of this grant, Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) organized a reception that was held on Capitol Hill in the House Natural Resources Committee Hearing Room where Turkish Ambassador Namik Tan gave remarks.
"TCA is thrilled to bring these two organizations together to help reduce rural poverty, and make a difference in the lives of families in Latin America," said G. Lincoln McCurdy, president of TCA. "I am also grateful to Congressman Henry Cuellar, a member of both the Hispanic and Turkey Caucuses, and to Esther Aguilera, President and CEO of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute for their letters of appreciation for this worthy grant."
SID hosted a dinner following the reception. Guests attending these events included: Members of Congress Virginia Foxx and Ed Whitfield, Co-Chairs of the Turkey Caucus; Chairman of the Hispanic Caucus and Institute Ruben Hinojosa; Jim Moran; and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.
"TIKA looks forward to establishing collaborative opportunities with Latin American countries to address challenges and priorities specific to this region. Thanks to our partners, the Turkish Coalition of America and Strategies for International Development, we have made a contribution to local farmers in Guatemala, Peru, and Bolivia. I believe this project will be very fruitful and is a significant step toward strengthening friendly relations and cooperation between Turkey and these countries, " said Harun Tuncer, deputy president of the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA)
