Send More Girls to School!

Dear TPF Donors,

We sincerely thank you for your ongoing support for girls' education and empowerment in Turkey. With your dedication, more girls have had a chance to continue their education, realized their own potential, and are thriving as independent and confident individuals and are hopeful about their future.

Together with your support and our partnership with Cagdas Yasami Destekleme Dernegi (CYDD) we have provided annual scholarships for 75 female students (58 high school,17 college students), and 30 notebook computers were provided for high school and college students (25 high school and 5 university students) to continue their (online) education. CYDD's various branches worked with volunteer teachers to support students who need help with their classes through online events both for parents and children. 

Additionally, 826 female students (from 9th to 12th grades) with socio-economical disadvantages were chosen to join the 21st-Century Skills Program to acquire new, much-needed skill sets such as creativity, digital literacy, critical thinking, time management, innovation, communication skills, and global citizenship. For the sustainability of this program, we also invested in the program's capacity-building and provided support to train 25 teachers. Furthermore, with CYDD's mentorship project, many university students were matched with their mentors to get support for their personal and professional development. 

This year, we sponsored to establish a 10-week long Mindfulness: Stay in the Moment Program to train 35 young women aged between 13-17, living in the rural district of Sile, Istanbul about mindfulness. Coming from disadvantaged families, having family traumas, and preparing for important national exams (LGS "High School Entrance Exam" and YGS "Transition to Higher Education Examination") were causing these young women severe stress and pressure of high performance. The program, in addition to behavioral and medical support, aimed to manage various symptoms including psychological and physical responses to stress, anxiety, depression, and disruptive behaviors, and teach non-reactive communication styles.

The Mindfulness in Schools Project (UK) trainers' program (MiSP) was utilized throughout the program. Neurologist Prof. Dr. Gülsen Babacan Yildiz chaired the project and the training was provided by Specialist Dr. Eda Uslu both of who are professional MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) trainers.

During the project, the participants were intended to meet with a psychologist regularly to ensure their well-being. In this regard, these young women had weekly sessions with their psychologists.

During the program, ten different course topics were presented interactively. The girls were occasionally given homework with printed materials and/or audio recordings. The sessions were well-attended, and students were eager to share their experiences, emphasizing the concept of responding rather than reacting.

At the end of the classes, an evaluation survey was conducted to gather student thoughts and feedback on this pilot project, and participants received certificates. Overall, students stated that the program was attention-grabbing, with a long-lasting impact on forming healthy approaches and behaviors, and had fun post-assessments following the sessions. They also mentioned that they are practicing what they have learned in their daily lives and during difficult times in their lives, such as exam periods.

One of the participants Zenan S., who is admitted to a top-ranked, private high school with a full scholarship, noted in her motivation letter:

"We received mindfulness training at ÇYDD Sile Branch before the high school entrance exam. [...] We were given new tests, which were carried out to track our progress to see ways to improve the program. Mindfulness has helped me in a variety of ways, including staying in the moment, paying attention [to things], focusing, remaining calm, and managing our thoughts."

We are so happy to see the positive impact of our supported projects on young women to empower them in so many ways (scholarships, skill development, and mindfulness)!

We will continue to make an impact on many more young women and girls' futures TOGETHER!

Thank you for your trust in us and for supporting TPF!

With heartfelt gratitude,

Team TPF

Dear TPF Donors,

We would like to share a sincere thank you for your ongoing support for girls' education and empowerment in Turkey. With your dedication, more girls have had a chance to continue their education, realize their own potential, and are thriving as independent and confident individuals, hopeful about their future.

Recent official numbers in Turkey show that the percentage of girls attending high school is 83.9% which means that the 16% of girls at the age of 14 are leaving school after primary education. The difference in schooling rate from one region to another is rather high: in eastern and southeastern Turkey, this ratio drops down dramatically to 69-70%.

Additionally, the quality of education is diminishing further due to distanced education during the Covid-19 pandemic as many disadvantaged students do not have computers to follow the online courses. Currently, 60% of the students in Turkey with disadvantaged backgrounds do not have access to the internet and due to the ingrained gender roles and misconceptions in society, female students fall behind disproportionally in their formal education. 

Together with your support and our partnership with Cagdas Yasami Destekleme Dernegi (CYDD) we provided annual scholarships for 75 female students (58 high school,17 college students), and 30 notebook computers were provided for high school and college students (25 high school, 5 university students)  to continue their online education. CYDD"s local branches found volunteer teachers for students who need help with their schools and they also organized online events for parents and children.

Additionally, 9 students (from 9th to 11th grades) with socio-economical disadvantages were chosen to attend the 21st-Century Skills Program to acquire new skill sets such as creativity, digital literacy, critical thinking, time management, innovation, communication skills, global citizenship.  With CYDD's mentorship project, many university students were matched with mentors to get support for their personal and professional development. 

With TPF's recent grant ($91K) to CYDD in December 2021, 17 more students from 5th to 12nd grade and 5 more university students will be supported for four years and they will be attending a 21st Century Skills Program. The grant will also be used for capacity building of the program by supporting training costs of 25 volunteer trainers. Additionally, 72 separate workshops will be given for 800 high school students during 2021-22 academic year.

We will continue to make an impact on these bright girls' future TOGETHER!

Thank you for your trust in us and for supporting TPF!

With heartfelt gratitude,

Team TPF