UPDATE: Soma Disaster Relief Fund

Turkish Philanthropy Funds (TPF)  is proud to announce the recipients from its Soma Disaster Relief Fund. Through generous support of more than 500 donors, TPF raised over $139,000 to be distributed to the following three organizations:

• Cagdas Yasami Destekleme Dernegi (Association for the Support of Contemporary Living, CYDD) in the amount of $45,000
• Darussafaka Cemiyeti (Darussafaka Society) in the amount of $45,000
• Anne Cocuk Egitim Vakfi (Mother Child Education Foundation, ACEV) in the amount of $30,000

We are honored that you selected TPF. We are also proud that our community came together under the umbrella of TPF; eight Turkish-American organizations channeled their giving through TPF, and many others directed their members to give through TPF’s campaign, knowing how carefully we will choose the ultimate recipients.

After analyzing the needs in detail, since the government’s disaster agency, AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency), provided emergency aid for recovery, TPF decided to support organizations involved in rebuilding and resilience activities in Soma and surrounding towns.

Our decision on awarding grants was based on the following factors:

• Most of the relief efforts targeted Soma. However, the victims spread to more than 15 towns.
• All scholarships, to the children of miners who lost their lives, are being administered by AFAD.
• 301 lives were lost at the Soma mining disaster. This left 418 children with no fathers. Thirty-two percent of these children are under the age of five, 38 percent are attending elementary school, and 24 percent are over 12 years of age. Fifty-one percent of school-aged children are boys and 49 percent are girls.

Based on these findings, TPF has decided to fund the following projects:

• Establishment of a Cultural Activity Center in SOMA by CYDD: The Cultural Activity Center will feature creative studios for children, provide sessions for psychosocial support and offer skill-building workshops to both men and women. TPF’s grant will assist CYDD in the purchase of the building that will house the Center and will help with the operating costs of the first year.
• Scholarships through Darussafaka Society: Darussafaka Society with approval from AFAD provides scholarships to students who lost their fathers at the mining tragedy. TPF’s grant will provide full scholarships for one year at Darussafaka Schools to four students who qualify by passing an entrance exam.
• Establishment of a Child Education Center in KINIK by ACEV:  The Child Education Center will address mid to long-term needs of the towns affected by the disaster, and will be operated in partnership with the Ministry of Family and Social Affairs and the local municipality. The center will operate a variety of educational programs from pre-school education, play and reading groups and family education to adult literacy, serving 1,500 to 2,000 families per year.

Turkish Philanthropy Funds is still dedicated to finding projects that can diversify income generation in the town of Soma and neighboring communities. We will support and collaborate with organizations that can provide new avenues for revenue generation and increase opportunities for employment in sectors other than mining.