Reaching out to Moro Muslims living in Philippines' Bangsamoro, the state-run Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) will build five schools and three clinics there.

Groundbreaking ceremonies took place on Mindanao Island. Schools for more than 700 students will be built in Maguindanao, Davao and Lanao Del Sur, while clinics offering maternity services will be constructed in Marawi, Sultan Kudarat and Davao.

The projects come on the eve of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which should be passed by the Senate in the following months, turning Muslim-majority parts of Mindanao into an autonomous entity, and rapid redevelopment will likely follow as the region has suffered from years of conflict.

Previously, a little-known state apparatus founded to help former Soviet republics after the collapse of the Soviet Union, TİKA has rebranded itself in the past decade as a major source for Turkey's international clout by reaching out to people in need across the globe.