A few weeks ago Turkish Philanthropy Funds (TPF) of which I am a Board Member asked me to attend the Türk Kızılayı award ceremony and iftar dinner on their behalf. I was thrilled to be asked and honored to represent my Foundation. Through the good and honorable efforts of TPF’s hard working staff primarily for…
By: Melis Figanmese The 2012 Olympics were quite an event for women. As we at TPF fight for gender equality in all parts of the world, and especially in Turkey, we look for tools on how to educate young women and keep them focused on academics. It is a proven fact that all students, regardless…
By Elmira Bayrasli Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol fell in love with music in Bursa. Bursting with greenery and majestic hills, the western Turkish city that was once the capital of the Ottoman Empire, is a setting that inspires. That is exactly what the musicologist and professor does when he sits…
By Elmira Bayrasli This is part of a TPF series on social entrepreneurs, in collaboration with Ashoka Turkiye. Booming is the adjective most often used to describe Turkey these days. Ranked the 16th largest economy (and growing) in the world, the country saddled between Europe and the Middle East is looked as a sound investment…
We can’t stop at TPF. At the end of January we rolled out a campaign focused on Empowering Turkish Girls. Wow, were we pleased to see how many of you wanted to help us educate, uplift, inspire and encourage young Turkish women to believe in and fulfill their potential. Over 2,700 people participated in our…
President Obama agrees, “While we have made great strides toward equality, we cannot rest until our mothers, sisters, and daughters assume their rightful place as full participants in a secure, prosperous, and just society.” As we kick off Women’s History Month today, TPF is working hard to make sure that all women realize their potential…
Many corporations are celebrating Corporate Philanthropy Day today. Started by the Committee for Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy it is “intended to build awareness of corporate-community partnerships.” We at TPF believe that’s definitely worth celebrating – and the perfect way to close out our Empowering Turkish Girls campaign. Corporate-community partnerships have been critical to TPF’s work, especially…
By Servet Harunoğlu Hisar Anadolu Destek Derneği I was in Van for 3 days last week and returned back on Saturday. The situation in Van is worse than I expected. I did not realize that the problem was so large. Most of the buildings in the city are damaged and they are waiting for demolition.…
By Elmira Bayrasli Engaging men, focusing on childcare options and educating women were some of the suggestions made during our Twitter chat on empowering Turkish girls and closing Turkey’s gender gap. The chat kicked off Turkish Philanthropy Funds’s month-long campaign on empowering teen girls. Istanbul-based journalist Claire Berlinski participated and, subsequently, had questions about the…
By Elmira Bayrasli Turkey may be a rising economic star and emerging leader in the Middle East, but it still has long to go to close the gap on gender equality. Released this week as the World Economic Forum convenes, the global network reports in its annual Gender Gap report that Turkey, the 16th largest…