By Dildar Baykan

ANKARA

A Turkish state development aid agency has built educational facilities to support a Colombian university's child protection program in western Armenia city, the agency said on Monday.

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) provided the University of Quindio with educational facilities, including teaching and play rooms, a canteen and also provided education equipment for their “Child Protection and Children Studies Program”, which works with children affected by war, TIKA said in a statement.

The program offers child victims of conflicts education according to their age and aims to improve their efforts to socialize and eliminate the effects of terrorism on them.

With TIKA's help, it aims to increase the efficiency of the program.

About 170 children under the age of 18 will benefit from the facilities, the statement said.

During a program at the university, TIKA officials met Quindio University Rector Jose Fernando Echeverry Murillo, Regional Director of the Colombia Family Policy Institute Adriana Echeverri Gonzalez, management of the Department for Social Development of the university, academics and the children benefitting from the program.

Speaking at the program, Luis Fernando Polania Obando, vice president of the Department for Social Development, thanked TIKA on behalf of the people of the region and the university for its support.

Obando said war-affected children and families from over 12 municipalities would benefit from TIKA’s contribution.