KOICA in Bangladesh, Uzbekistan

SEOUL, KOREA - From agricultural development to language training, government aid programs organized by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) are continuing to enhance quality of life and personal growth opportunities for communities in developing countries.

A new elementary school in Sadopur Village of Comilla, Bangladesh, was constructed as part of the recent KOICA community development project (photo courtesy of KOICA).

In Comilla, Bangladesh, KOICA recently finished a 3.5-million-dollar grant aid project to eliminate poverty in local farming communities and improve living conditions. A handover ceremony and workshop were held on February 13 in Comilla to commemorate the project’s close and assess its outcome.

As part of the KOICA project in Comilla, where over 76% of residents are involved in farming work, a total of eleven villages saw the construction of new roads, schools, and community centers.

A KOICA volunteer and local children greet guests and visitors to the handover ceremony in Comilla, Bangladesh, on February 13 (photo courtesy of KOICA).

In addition, approximately 210 villagers received farming equipment and access to new income-earning opportunities.

Just days earlier, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, a joint conference organized by KOICA and Korea University set goals for the expansion of Korean language programs for students in the Eastern European and Central Asian region.

Korean language students pose with KOICA volunteers at the traditional culture booth at the International Korean Language conference held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on February 8 (photo courtesy of KOICA).

Entitled “Better Future via Korean Language,” the conference took place from February 8 to 10, with over 200 people in attendance -- Korean language volunteers, local students, business and community leaders, and guests from neighboring countries. The three-day conference began with a culture fair introducing Korean foods and traditional culture, and proceeded with lively discussions on academic and institutional measures that could be taken to increase the effectiveness and sustainability of programs for Korean language learners.

To date, over 100 students in the area have participated in Korean language study programs as a part of the KOICA and Korea University partnership.

Various discussions and activities took place during the International Korean Language conference held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from February 8 to 10 (photo courtesy of Korea University).

“With the spread of Hallyu, we are seeing a demand for Korean language learning in developing countries such as Uzbekistan,” said Park Dae-won, president of KOICA. “An expansion of language training programs will not only help to satisfy this need but also become a basis for strengthening relations with [KOICA] partner countries.”

For the past 20 years, KOICA has implemented government aid and technical cooperation programs not only overseas with NGO-coordinated projects and community development projects, but also at home, with travel study and language training programs in Korea. Over 8,900 volunteers have been sent abroad to assist with KOICA projects in developing countries, and this number is expected to surpass 10,000 this year.

Local students visit the culture fair that started off the International Korean Language conference held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (photo courtesy of Korea University).

More information on KOICA and its operations can be found at http://www.koica.go.kr/ (Korean, English).

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