Number 248 | December 12, 2013
Reported by the Anatolian News Agency (AA)
American-Indians living in Warm Springs region of Oregon, will get potable water with the help of a donation from Turkey
ISTANBUL
Turkey's donation of $200,000 to provide potable water to around five thousand American-Indians in Oregon is welcomed by the US Congress, Lincoln McCurdy, President of the Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Wednesday.
The funds were donated by (TIKA), the Turkish Coordination and Cooperation Agency, whose mission is to contribute to poverty eradication and sustainable development in partner countries.
McCurdy said that Turkey's "good will gesture" shows an equal partnership between the two countries. A partnership which goes back to the 1950s and 1960s when the US helped Turkey develop its infrastructure, highways, irrigation projects. "Now Turkey has become an economic power house in the region, it is showing its gratitude in helping native Americans in the US," says McCurdy.
There are lots of social problems amongst the American Indians says McCurdy, "unemployment is at 80 percent, there is alcoholism, drug abuse, and obesity. It is almost like a third world country. TIKA's grant does not pay for the entire cost but helps pay for most of it for the water tank."
He outlines other projects TCA is involved with, "many African-Americans and Hispanic people don't have the funds for their children to study abroad. We give grants to minority students in US to study abroad programmes in Turkey."
For further coverage on the $200,000 grant to the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs (CTWS) facilitated by TCA in conjunction with the National American Indian Housing Council, TIKA and the people of CTWS, please click here
