LET'S EMPOWER GIRLS BY SUPPORTING THEIR EDUCATION

Dear donor,

CYDD has been supporting girls from disadvantaged families all over Turkey with high school scholarships. These girls are from everywhere, from remote villages in the east, to families living in big cities but who have migrated from eastern towns.

We have a story for every one of them but today we would like to write about some 100 girls we support from Hakkari and Yüksekova. Some of these girls are in their senior class and we provided them with notebook computers so they can attend free online CYDD courses given in Istanbul to prepare them for the university exams. Providing notebooks is not enough because nowhere in Yüksekova (except Yeni Mahalle) there is internet infrastructure. So we have to rely on phone companies and buy prepaid mobile hotspot cards to connect to internet through a mobile phone. Most families own a single mobile phone and one girl recently said “ I will make sure my mother will not leave home with her phone when it’s time for my online course.”

Some of the girls we support from Yüksekova are also members of a successful cross country skiing team with medals and have trainings every day after classes. With their trainer who also was a former CYDD scholarship girl, they ski for 15km every day if there is snow and when there is no snow on the ground they train on short skis with rollers. These girls all study hard to finish high school and go on to university with the support of CYDD and our valuable donors.

We hope to report to you next year this time, the success in the university exams of these senior year students who study in difficult conditions but keep up their hope thanks to our joint support.

Kind regards,