The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) donated computers and water purifiers to native communities in Mexico in the latest international project by the state-run institution.

Computers were donated to community centers for Mexico's 62 indigenous communities. Community centers work for supporting social, economic and cultural development of those communities. The computers will be used in an educational program for children from those communities who are provided with study rooms, accommodation, meals and social activities in the 1,065 centers who have to travel to schools far from locations where indigenous communities live.

The Turkish agency also provided 35 water purifiers to community centers located in mostly underdeveloped regions in an effort to prevent diseases, like typhoid and cholera, stemming from drinking water.

Computers and water purifiers were handed to locals in a ceremony a community center in Las Chapas, Puebla and will be used in 10 computer classes at community centers. Puebla hosts an indigenous population of more than 1 million.

Speaking at the handover ceremony for the aid, Puebla Governor Rafael Moreno Valle said the centers had an important function for children to socialize and learn. Valle extended his thanks to Turkey for TİKA's aid. The governor said they were looking forward to maintaining further cooperation with TİKA in the future.

Mexico has the most diverse population of indigenous communities in Latin America and has a native population of about 14.8 million people. The population is mostly concentrated in southern and mid-western Mexico, in rural regions with little access to clean water, education and health services. According to the World Bank, the majority of indigenous populations live under the poverty threshold.

Previously a little-known state apparatus founded with the purpose of helping former Soviet republics after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the state-run Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) has re-branded itself in the past decade as a major source for Turkey's international clout by reaching out to people in need across the globe.