Illiteracy does not just mean the inability to read or write

“As I would board the bus, I would ask the driver shyly whether the bus was headed in the direction I needed to go. Now, I can read the bus route. I can go wherever I want without asking anyone.”- Emine S.

“I couldn’t go to the hospital alone before. Since I couldn’t read, I couldn’t find the department I needed to go to. I was afraid to ask. I would spend so much time looking. Now I can find the hospital departments without asking anyone. I can read the door plates.”-Hamiyet K.

“My greatest wish was to learn phone numbers. When somebody gave me their number I couldn’t write it and I felt miserable. Yesterday I got a phone call. They wanted to talk to my husband. I said he wasn't home and wrote their phone number. I am so happy.” -Muteber B.

As surprising as it may seem, Emine, Hamiyet and Muteber live in Turkey’s largest and most cosmopolitan city, Istanbul. Until they enrolled in the Mother and Child Education Foundation (ACEV)’s Women Empowerment and Functional Literacy Program (FALP), they could not read.

These women are not alone. There are several thousands of women, of all ages, who like Emine migrated to Istanbul, but who are unable to integrate into city life because of illiteracy. Illiteracy does not just mean the inability to read or write. It is a situation that prevents, mainly women, from living a normal life. For the past year, FALP has helped to change that in three disadvantaged districts in Istanbul.

From October 2009, FALP has implemented a literacy program for women in their 30s and 40s in Eyup, Fatih and Kagithane, where there is a high percentage of migrants from southeastern and eastern Turkey. The majority are migrants with only a primary school education for the men and only a few years for the women. In most instances women from these parts of Turkey never even enrolled in a classroom.

With the assistance of three volunteer teachers selected by ACEV’s Functional Literacy Program, 65 women from these Istanbul districts developed basic primary school level reading skills in three months.

FALP aims “for participants to gain skills that would boost women’s status in society and the family, such as using literacy skills in daily life, benefiting form the right to lifelong education as an informed citizen, and understanding the importance of educating female children.” Raising literacy rates in Turkey is one step in the right direction.

As a result of ACEV’s literacy program, there are several dozens of women in Istanbul more confident and able to function independently in their daily lives. Pleased with its results, ACEV plans to offer more advanced courses for these women. It also plans to expand the program to other districts in Istanbul.

ACEV's FALP program is a recent grantee of TPF. Read more on the outcomes of the project here.

Tweetchat on female education and literacy

We just had a very lively discussion on Twitter on female education and literacy. Thanks to everyone who joined us.
If you missed it, you can read back through it here: http://twubs.com/girlseducation 

Visit TPF website.

If a Turkish girl can be President, can she change a tire? Only if she has an education.

Posted by Elmira Bayrasli

My father doesn’t think I should change a tire. I am, after all, a Turkish girl – and Turkish girls don’t change tires. Interestingly, he does think that I should and can be whatever I want to be – President of the United States for example. Hence, why he encouraged me - no scratch that - ordered me to study – a lot. “Education,” he would say, “is the most important thing in the world.”

That is, unfortunately, not the norm in Turkish culture. More than half of Turkish girls do not receive anything beyond the mandatory primary education. Today, only 57.2 percent of Turkish girls are enrolled in secondary school and only 18.7 percent in tertiary – and that is an increase over the past ten years. It is a disturbing gender gap, especially for a country that has aspirations to belong to the European Union. That is why I’m so glad to be involved with the Turkish Philanthropy Funds (TPF).

In name, TPF is a foundation that assists individuals eager to make philanthropic donations to Turkey. They’re an information and due-diligence resource that helps people make knowledgeable choices in charitable giving. Translated, they’re a convener and a community eager to make a positive impact on Turkey, in four specific areas:

• Gender Equality
• Arts & Culture
• Economic Development (entrepreneurship)
• Education

It’s two of these areas: gender equality and education and the work TPF is doing is why I’ve chosen to volunteer my Wednesday mornings working at their offices.

TPF identifies, evaluates and partners with non-profits that are doing measurable work with significant outputs in these areas. One of the organizations they’ve chosen is the Mother Child Education Foundation (ACEV). It is an organization that works with rural communities to develop early childhood and adult education programs. Among the programs that they support is educating….men.

Fathers, brothers and uncles hold the key to closing Turkey’s gender gap. They must be included in efforts to increase female literacy and school enrollment. That’s what I love about ACEV’s Father Support Program. It works to “address the parenting skills and attitudes of fathers.” ACEV works with the Turkish education ministry and other education professionals to develop programs that encourage men to not only support female education, but to be involved in their daughter’s success. Beyond cool.

It is a program I found out about through TPF, as a result of the resources it makes available to those interested in making a difference in Turkey. TPF has a team that works to identify non-profits working in the four areas of focus I outlined above. More importantly, it works to ensure that those non-profits and the programs they’re implementing are having a significant and measurable impact. TPF is the quality control of Turkish philanthropy.

And quality is something we’re all looking for in every aspect of our lives. Yet somehow we don’t make it a priority when we’re giving. Our charity is, more often than not, driven by guilt as a palliative rather than thoughtful deliberation on what will affect long-term progress. The Turkish Philanthropy Funds has created the platform to help turn giving into something that is part of a community rather than conscience. It is a place to affect real change.

For me changing the lives of Turkish girls by giving them a chance at an education couldn’t be more thrilling. They’re capable of so much. And that capability is something Turkey desperately needs.

Elmira Bayrasli writes and works on economic development issues. She is writing a book Under-Development about her experiences working in government and with entrepreneurs.

Please join her in a Twitter chat to discuss this issue of female education and literacy next Monday, September 20 at 2PM EST/9PM IST using the hashtag #girlseducation.

Visit TPF website.

Guest Writers on TPF Blog

As September fast approaches, we at TPF are gearing up for the new season with some exciting developments.

In the coming months, you'll be able to read about philanthropy and TPF's work on our blog by various guest writers. Leaders in philanthropy, education and civil society will share their thoughts and experiences about giving. Our first guest blogger will be Elmira Bayrasli, Vice President of Policy and Outreach at Endeavor, who has joined our communications team. Her post will appear on September 13th.

To make it easy for you to follow these updates, please subscribe to our blog. In doing so, you will receive an email alert when a new post appears. You can also find recent news and information on TPF's Facebook Fan Page, and on Twitter. Please become a fan or follow us to stay connected!

If you would like to become a guest blogger or recommend a guest blogger, please email us at blogs@tpfund.org. We are always open to new ideas and suggestions.

TPF seeks an energetic social cause marketing intern!

Overview

Turkish Philanthropy Funds (TPF, www.tpfund.org) taps into and unleashes philanthropic giving from the Turkish Diaspora and friends of Turkey. It empowers these groups to take action in four key areas: gender equality, economic development, education and arts & culture. 

We seek an energetic intern who will assist with TPF's social cause marketing.

Description

Founded in 2007, TPF was a group of individuals eager to make a difference for future generations of Turks and Turkish-Americans. In three years it has garned the excitement of a community that is eager to take the organization to the next level. TPF is eager to hire an intern to be a part of the TPF's team as it widens its reach with an outreach and communications program.

Hours are flexible, but will require a focus on keeping on top of current events, both in Turkey as well as the philanthropic giving circle, communicating with like-minded organizations and individuals via social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter and assisting TPF's senior management with outreach efforts.

This is a great opportunity for someone eager to own a social media portfolio and help TPF build a presence on Facebook and Twitter.

The intern will work closely with seasoned professionals, who will act as mentors and guides for professional development. It is an opportunity for an intern to widen his/her social network by meeting new people, as well as becoming a social media expert. The internship also gives interns a chance to become acquainted with Turkish non-profit sector, organizations, their people, projects and business models.

Your successfully completed internship should provide you with an excellent portfolio of deliverable projects you can use to demonstrate your social media savvy to potential employers.

Responsibilities

• Social media/social networking, outreach, monitoring, experimenting
• List management and communications
• Website updates
• Research
• Stats and reporting
• Growing marketing ideas in the social Web/media arena

Requirements

• Strong interest in TPF's mission and vision
• Commitment to social change
• Interest in how social media and traditional media work and what is newsworthy
• Interest in how media and communications strategies advance a public interest agenda.

The intern should be energetic, reliable, detail oriented and organized. Excellent writing skills are required. Experience in social issue organizing, communications, or journalism helpful. Knowledge of Turkish is recommended, but not required.

How to Apply

Please email a tailored cover letter, resume, 1-3 social networking profiles and availability to Senay Ataselim, COO at senay@tpfund.org

TPF at ISTR Conference in Istanbul

Turkish Philanthropy Funds will be organizing a panel on transnational philanthropy and its effects on social development at the ISTR Conference on July 8 from 4:00-5:30 pm at Kadir Has University. Panelists include Lou Anne King Jensen, Dr. Banu Onaral, Haldun Tashman, and Senay Ataselim. The panel will be moderated by Dr. Mark Sidel.

For more information about the conference, visit www.istr.org.

More Good News from Caykisla!

The new school built in Caykisla in honor of Esat Egesoy and Bedia Basgoz by the Porcaro Education Fund at TPF had its official opening ceremony on May 24, 2010. The children of Caykisla and their families, as well as many supporters of the school were present to celebrate this day.