Gender Equality Turkey Project #9853

Empower 300 Girls through Education in Turkey

by Bridge to Turkiye Fund

Project Report | Oct 12, 2015
International Day of the Girl Update - October 2015

By Sevda K. Aleckson | Project Coordinator

“Empowerment of and investment in girls are key in breaking the cycle of discrimination and violence and in promoting and protecting the full and effective enjoyment of their human rights” - United Nations Resolution 66/170

The UN has dedicated October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child to shine a light on the issues concerning gender inequality around the world. We wanted to take this opportunity to remind you of the important work Bridge to Turkiye Fund (BTF) is doing to address gender inequality and advancing rights and opportunities for young women and girls in Turkey. We need your continued support to reach out to more underprivileged young women and help them realize their dreams.

Secondary and higher education paves the way to social and economic empowerment. Access to this level of education is, however, still a distant dream for 62 million girls and women around the world. This is especially true for thousands of young women from rural provinces of Turkey who don’t receive the same quality education as boys, are unable to attend school regularly, and face unsafe conditions as they travel to and from school.

BTF’s Girls’ Empowerment Scholarships Program focuses on educating girls because cycles of poverty and illiteracy can be broken in just one generation. These scholarships can make a substantial difference in encouraging families to send and keep their daughters in school. This year alone, BTF directly supported 259 students through scholarships promoting literacy with a special focus on disadvantaged girls who are not encouraged to go to school. Thanks to generous donations from supporters like you, these young women are staying in school, graduating, and becoming productive members of their communities. Our scholarship recipients have gone into fields of law, education, healthcare, and business. Since 2003, BTF has supported hundreds of projects in Turkey, worth over $1,500,000, all benefiting children and changing their lives forever. It is a record of which we are extremely proud.

In an interview with Hurriyet, Dr. Aziz Sancar, the recent Nobel Prize recipient in Chemistry, emphasized the importance of educating girls in southern and southeastern Turkey. He further stated that we need to promote girls getting into the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). If not, we will lose half of our human capital. He spoke out directly to the people from his birthplace in southeastern Turkey, and asked them to send their girls to school. Dr. Sancar is the first Turkish-American scientist to win this prestigious prize. We hope that the scholarships and financial aid we provide these girls will help educate more future Nobel Prize winners in the STEM fields.

This year, BTF plans to reach out to 300 aspiring, but economically disadvantaged young women from rural Turkey. However, we can’t do it without you. Please continue to support Scholarships4Girls to make the impossible possible for these young women and provide them with the life-changing gift of education.  Please watch for our next update, which will include information on the students who graduated during 2015 educational year.

To make a donation to the Scholarships4Girls program, please visit: http://goto.gg/9853.

Best wishes and thanks again for your support!

BTF Team

Aziz Sancar, Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry

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Feb 24, 2015
Education For All: The Leap to Equality

By Ayse Caglayan Ustundag | Vice President

BTF Logo

HE & SHE TOGETHER

THEY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND WE CAN HELP!

Dear Supporter:

Bridge to Türkiye Fund (BTF) is deeply saddened by the tragic murder of a young university student ‎Özgecan Aslan in Tarsus, Turkey and condemns all forms of violence against women and girls. This tragic event reminds us of the importance of providing access to contemporary education to both boys and girls.

There is a significant body of research showing how gender equality, women’s rights and women’s empowerment can have a catalytic effect on the achievement of sustained peace, development, human rights and sound relationships between the environment and human populations. It has become clear that a strategic shift needs to occur that brings men and boys side by side with women and girls, in order to break through the barriers preventing women and girls from achieving their full potential and contributing this potential to our global community.

Who is Özgecan Aslan?

Özgecan Aslan was a 20-year old, first-year psychology student who was murdered by a minibus driver as she was returning home from her school in Tarsus, in southern Turkey. The murder of this young woman sparked outrage in Turkey and the international communities and drew attention to the increasing number of violent incidents against women.

Program Overview:

Inspired by the demonstrated belief that “education is the best investment we can make for social change” Bridge to Türkiye Fund (BTF) has established a memorial fund to honor Özgecan Aslan’s memory and to provide scholarships for young deserving men and women from her native region Tarsus, Turkey.

BTF’s current empowerment scholarship program will be expanded to include scholarships to honor Özgecan’s memory. Our history of supporting underprivileged students with the gift of education dates back to 2004. During the 2014-2015 academic year, BTF provided 259 (217 girls and young women) scholarships to low income students. Scholarships for the Özgecan Aslan Memorial Fund will be awarded on the basis of academic merit to students from low-income families. 100% of donations will support successful students with financial need and will be coordinated through our local trusted NGOs in the region.

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?

Turkey is one of the countries where violence against women occurs with alarming frequency. There is a strong correlation between violence against women and literacy. The achievement of gender equality requires an inclusive approach - a solidarity movement that recognizes the crucial role of men and boys as partners for women’s and girls’ rights.

Potential Long Term Impact

The scholarships will provide economic assistance to university students from low-income families in creating better futures for themselves, their families and communities. These scholarships are vital to keeping the youth in school.

Ultimately, these scholarships will help a new generation of men and women leaders serving as positive change makers in society where every young girl and boy would have the same opportunity to succeed, the chance to live out their dreams.

Please join us and support this important cause. By contributing to Özgecan Aslan Memorial Fund, you will help make a difference in the lives of a rural young woman or a man and make strides towards ending gender inequality.

With Gratitude,

Ozgecan Aslan

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Dec 31, 2014
Project Update - December 30, 2014

By Sevda K. Aleckson | BTF Project Lead

Achieving Gender Equality Through Education

BTF continues to transform lives through the gift of education for underprivileged young women in rural Turkey!

Dear Friend,

As 2014 comes to a close, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for supporting Bridge to Turkiye Fund’s (BTF’s) Girls’ Empowerment Scholarships Program. For the 2014-15 academic year, we had set a goal of supporting 100 bright but economically disadvantaged young women and girls from rural regions of Turkey. With your generous support and donations, we exceeded our goal and 159 qualified young women and girls received a scholarship. Our newest scholarship recipients were chosen among students studying law, medicine, and education. In 2014, we had three high school and four university students graduated.

Secondary, tertiary and continuing education is the door that leads to social and economic empowerment. Access to this level of education is, however, still a distant dream for millions of girls and women around the world. This is especially true for young women from rural regions of Turkey. We believe education is key to combatting early marriage, illiteracy, school dropout, and low wages which are common issues faced by millions of girls in Turkey. With access to proper educational resources and guidance, a girl can reshape her destiny. More importantly, providing education will make a difference now and for generations to come giving women greater educational and economic opportunities.

In 2015, our New Year’s resolution is to continue our work and expand our reach to 200 promising but economically disadvantaged girls so that they can reach their full potential. We hope you will continue to support our program to build towards a better world in 2015. We simply couldn't do it without you.

Thank you again for sharing our passion of helping to empower young women in Turkey and building stronger communities around the world.

From everyone at the Bridge to Turkiye Fund – have a happy and healthy holiday season.

Sincerely,

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