ANKARA

A group of Turkish students set off for Somalia on Tuesday to participate in an exchange program.

The program has been organized by Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), Turkish Airlines, Anadolu Agency and Turkish Radio and Television (TRT).

Omerul Faruk Kaya, who studies public finance at Istanbul University said in the 10 days he spends in Somalia, he will understand the problems that plague the country.

“We will have the opportunity to visit agricultural vocational schools and hospitals,” he added.

Another student from Istanbul's Yildiz Technical University, Yusuf Gunduz said: “We will tell our African brothers, who have been exploited for years, that we are here to strengthen our bonds.”

Ceyhun Dogan, a student in the international trade department at Cankiri Karatekin University, said he would contribute to the restoration of Al-Haramain Orphanage in Somalia.

"We are members of a country that does not hesitate to reach out to oppressed communities,” he said.

The 2017 Africa Experience Sharing Program will give an opportunity to 200 students to visit several African countries, including Tunisia, Libya, Somalia, Kenya, Algeria, Chad, Sudan, Ghana and Niger from Aug. 5-30.

Reporting by Zuhal Demirci; Writing by Sibel Ugurlu