She did not ask for a new swing or an ice cream truck. Instead, she imagined a safe, shaded space where stray cats could curl up and nap peacefully.

Mustafa joined her idea, suggesting food and water bowls. Then Nergis asked, “What about the pigeons?” She imagined a space above, safely away from the cats, where birds could rest too.

And just like that, the idea began to grow. Together, they brought it to life with arts and crafts, building a small mock-up of what a playground could become—not just for them, but for every living creature around them. It was thoughtful, imaginative, and quietly powerful.

Together, the children began to build a model of their idea. With paper, paint, and their imaginations, a playground became something more: a place designed not only around what children wanted, but around how they saw the community around them.

The model took shape during an Urban School workshop at Hayat Park, where children gather to explore their city through creativity, design, play, and problem-solving.

At the heart of Playful Adıyaman, supported through the TPF Earthquake Fund and implemented by Şehir Dedektifi, is a simple idea: ask children what they think, and take their answers seriously.

That matters particularly in a city still living with the consequences of the February 2023 earthquakes. For children whose surroundings have been transformed by loss, displacement, construction, and uncertainty, the ability to imagine and influence the spaces around them can restore something important: a sense of agency.

And sometimes their ideas travel beyond the workshop.

When Zerrin and her friends were asked about public transportation, they talked about something they experienced regularly: feeling invisible on buses. Their response was to design a flyer reminding adults that children deserve the same respect and consideration as everyone else.

With support from the municipality, their message was displayed on buses across Adıyaman for a month.

A drawing created by children had entered the life of their city.

The project is designed to take that participation even further. A 10-member Children’s Advisory Council will create a formal channel for children to contribute their perspectives, while work with municipal staff will help strengthen the role of children’s voices in decisions about public spaces.

In earthquake recovery, rebuilding is often measured by what can be seen: homes, schools, roads, parks. But recovery is also about restoring people’s relationship with the places where they live.In a place where children have had to grow up around loss, uncertainty, and constant change, having a space to imagine, to create, and to be heard becomes something much bigger.

For children, that begins by knowing that they have a place in those conversations.

It becomes a reminder. That they are seen. That they are heard. And that they are deeply, truly cared for. And seeing their ideas become part of the city shows children that their voices can shape the world around them. 

It is through your support that these ideas find their way into the world.

For girls, recovery brought another challenge. The barriers they had faced before the earthquake did not disappear with the disaster. In many cases, uncertainty, economic hardship, and disruption made the need for safe spaces, support, and opportunities to be heard even greater.

Female dropout rates spike significantly around the 5th grade. Following the destruction of school facilities during the earthquake, many families increasingly withdrew their daughters from formal education. With limited job opportunities and deepening poverty, child labor and early marriage continue to be a reality for many girls.

Through a two-year grant from the TPF Earthquake Fund, Suna’nın Kızları created two Children’s Hubs in Antakya and Güzelburç where children could begin rebuilding something less visible but equally important: a sense of safety, confidence, belonging, and agency.

Şeyma was one of them.

At first, the Center was simply somewhere she could go. Over time, it became somewhere she could speak.

Through Girl Circles and other participatory activities, Şeyma and her peers were encouraged to think about their own lives differently. What made them feel safe? What did they need from the places around them? What would they change if someone actually asked?

The answers came from their own experiences.

They talked about hygiene, safe spaces, parks, and the everyday realities of navigating their communities as girls. They learned about their rights, explored their ideas through art, journalism, and participatory research, and began putting words to experiences they had not always been invited to express.Within the Circle, she learned to recognize herself, to stand up for her rights, to express herself, and to share her ideas freely. It was where she truly learned how to speak.

Most importantly, adults listened.

Their ideas did not remain inside the Center. Girls met with public institutions and local decision-makers, bringing their perspectives into conversations about the communities being rebuilt around them. What they built was not just confidence, but a community that is deeply connected, supportive, and unwilling to let go of one another.

For Şeyma, the transformation was personal. The Circle became a place where she learned to express herself, stand up for her rights, listen to others, and trust that her ideas had value.

But she was not doing it alone.

The girls formed friendships and a community of their own, supporting one another as they learned, questioned, created, and imagined what could come next.

Across the two-year project, the Children’s Hubs registered 536 children, including 335 girls, while school-based rights seminars extended the work to more than 5,200 children. Hundreds of workshops, structured well-being programs, and more than 1,100 hours of individual psychological counseling created multiple pathways for children to recover and grow.

But perhaps one of the most important outcomes cannot be captured by a number.

In the aftermath of a disaster, children are surrounded by decisions they did not make about where they will live, where they will learn, and what their communities will become.

Through Suna’nın Kızları, girls like Şeyma experienced something different.

They were asked. They were heard. And they began to see themselves not simply as children recovering from a disaster, but as people with the ability to shape what comes next.

More than three years later, its name has taken on an even deeper meaning.

They are still here.

As the needs of their community changed, so did their work. Emergency response gave way to helping small businesses recover, creating safe spaces for children, supporting young people, and responding to new challenges as they emerged. Through the TPF Earthquake Fund, we were the first to provide a grant to them and have supported Buradayız Hatay at different points along that journey, investing in locally led recovery that evolves with the community it serves.

Today, one of those investments is helping strengthen the Buradayız Hatay Youth & Community Hub, a place young people have increasingly made their own.

For many young people still navigating the disruption left by the earthquakes, including life in temporary housing, the Center offers something that can be difficult to find: a place that feels steady.

They come to study, participate in arts and cultural activities, receive support, volunteer, spend time with friends, and simply be together. What began as a place to study has gradually become something deeper: a home away from home.

Perhaps the clearest sign of what the Center means can be found in what happens when people begin giving something back to it.

One university student who had received support from Buradayız Hatay returned during the summer to help younger students prepare for their exams. He sat beside them, worked through questions, and shared what he had learned from his own experience.

A father who regularly brought his daughter to the Center found another way to contribute. He came back to repair and repaint its walls.

Neither gesture was part of a formal program. That is precisely what makes them meaningful.

They show what happens when people begin to feel that a space belongs to them. They care for it. They contribute to it. And eventually, they help create that same sense of support for someone else.

For Buradayız Hatay, recovery has never been about one project. It has been about remaining present as the needs around them change.

A study space becomes a community hub. Someone who once received support becomes the person offering it. A parent becomes a volunteer. And little by little, a place affected by extraordinary loss begins rebuilding something that cannot be constructed with bricks alone: connection, trust, and belonging.

Buradayız Hatay said it in its name from the beginning:

We are here.

And perhaps one of the most important measures of recovery is knowing that local organizations like this will continue to be here for the communities that call Hatay home.

• BinYaprak / TurkishWin – BinYaprak / TurkishWin, $27,537

Support the employability and career readiness of 50 young women through peer mentoring circles, expert sessions, networking support, and structured job search guidance. It will also develop a scalable and repeatable Job Search Sisterhood Circles model for future cohorts.

• Defne Kadın Girişimi Uretim ve Işletme Kooperatifi – Defne Women’s Cooperative, $55,355

Strengthen the long-term recovery, psychosocial well-being, and economic resilience of approximately 100 women in Hatay through a combined model of healing, sustainable production, disaster preparedness, and local solidarity, while supporting women-led agricultural production and cooperative-based livelihoods.

• Dünya İnsani Dayanışma Derneği (WHR) – World Human Relief, $115,370

Provide trauma-focused mental health and psychosocial support services for 166 direct beneficiaries in Hatay. It will also strengthen WHR’s institutional disaster preparedness and emergency response capacity through disaster planning, first response systems, and coordination mechanisms for future emergencies.

• Erişilebilir ve Sürdürülebilir ve Yaşam Derneği (ESYAD) – Accessible and Sustainable Living Association, $88,580

Strengthen disaster resilience and livelihood continuity for about 300 vulnerable micro-enterprises and independent producers in Hatay through business continuity planning, disaster preparedness, psychosocial support, and resilience training, while developing a replicable micro-enterprise resilience model for future preparedness.

• Gelecek Nesil Bilim Derneği – Next Generation Science Association, $89,920

Provide drone soccer and FPV drone piloting training to 734 earthquake-affected children and youth in Hatay, supporting technological skills, psychosocial well-being, social participation, and future employability through STEM-based sports and hands-on learning opportunities.

• Hatay Senfoni Orkestrası Kültür ve Sanat Derneği – Hatay Symphony Orchestra Culture and Art Association, $66,969

Support up to 40 adults and young people in Hatay through a 48-week polyphonic choir training and performance program. This initiative will contribute to cultural recovery, psychosocial well-being, social connection, and the rebuilding of local cultural life after the earthquake.

• Samandağ Spor Kulübü – Samandağ Sports Club, $101,690

Provide safe, inclusive, and regular sports activities to 1,500 earthquake-affected children and engage at least 1,000 caregivers in Samandag, while strengthening psychosocial well-being, girls’ participation, child participation, and disaster awareness through a scalable sports-based recovery and preparedness model.

• Talebeyiz Biz Derneği – Talebeyiz Biz Association, $51,183

Support at least 50 young people and artists in Hatay through youth-led arts, cultural production, workshops, exhibitions, performances, and AI-based creative activities. This effort will strengthen psychosocial well-being, participation, collective resilience, and local cultural recovery in the post-earthquake context.

• Toplum Gönüllüleri Vakfı (TOG) – Community Volunteers Foundation, $108,882

Support+1,600 young people in Hatay by operating and expanding the Hatay Campus. This youth-centered community hub provides psychosocial support, education, arts and culture activities, volunteerism, climate awareness, and civic engagement opportunities within a long-term recovery and resilience framework.

• Türkiye Spastik Çocuklar Vakfı – Cerebral Palsy Turkiye, $139,800

Provide comprehensive rehabilitation, physiotherapy, special education, psychosocial support, and mobility services to 100 children with disabilities and amputee individuals in Hatay through its permanent disability support center and mobile outreach services.

With this announcement, the TPF Earthquake Fund has now supported 96 partner organizations through 187 projects. Together, these organizations have reached millions of people while addressing evolving needs in education, youth development, economic opportunity, psychosocial support, and community resilience.

Explore TPF Turkiye Earthquake Fund

From day one, your unwavering support enabled TPF to respond swiftly, collaborating with over 80 organizations and distributing $15 million in grants, positively affecting 2 million lives.

But numbers can only tell part of the story. The real impact is seen in the extraordinary courage and resilience shown of the survivors, and the dedication of our partner NGOs deeply rooted in the communities they serve.

Today, we honor THESE HEROES. They have shown us what resilience truly looks like.

We also thank YOU, our donors, for believing in this mission. While challenges remain, together we continue to turn obstacles into opportunities, planting seeds for a brighter future where hope becomes reality.

Thank you for standing with us, and helping us transform stories of loss into narratives of hope and strength in the earthquake region.

[New York, December 12, 2024]

The Ellis Island Honors Society, renowned for its annual Ellis Island Medals of Honor, created the Beacon Award to highlight rising leaders in the United States. Established in 1984 at the request of President Ronald Reagan, the Society celebrates the contributions of immigrants to the United States as a symbol of American diversity and progress. TPF’s Chairman Emeritus, Haldun Tashman, current Chairman, Mustafa Kemal Abadan, and TPF Board Member, Tamer Seckin are former recipients of the prestigious Ellis Medals of Honor.

“I am deeply honored to receive the Beacon Award and am grateful to the Ellis Island Honors Society for this recognition,” Şenay said. “This recognition reflects the collective work of Turkish Philanthropy Funds and our donors, who are committed to uplifting communities and fostering resilience. I look forward to continuing our mission of making impactful change.”

“On behalf of Turkish Philanthropy Funds, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Şenay Ataselim Yılmaz on this well-deserved recognition as a 2025 Beacon Award recipient,” said Mustafa Kemal Abadan, Chair of TPF. “We are incredibly proud to have such an outstanding leader among us, whose dedication and vision have transformed philanthropy into a powerful force for meaningful change. This honor reflects not only her exceptional leadership but also the collective spirit of TPF’s mission to empower communities and create lasting impact. We are delighted to celebrate this momentous achievement with her.”

The Beacon Award Gala will take place on Thursday, January 23, 2025, at The Wall Street Hotel in New York City.

About Turkish Philanthropy Funds:

For 17 years, Turkish Philanthropy Funds (TPF) has been dedicated to changing narratives and creating equitable opportunities in our community. With the generosity of over 100,000 donors, we have disbursed close to $50 million, directly impacting over 3 million lives. As a community foundation, we leverage our intimate knowledge of community needs to fuel innovative solutions to pressing challenges. Our strategic guidance helps donors maximize their philanthropic reach, ensuring that their contributions create sustainable and meaningful change. TPF serves as a collaborative hub where donors, businesses, and nonprofits unite, pooling resources and expertise to foster resilient and inclusive communities. Together, we have built a legacy of positive change that we are all proud of.

For more information about Turkish Philanthropy Funds and its initiatives, please visit localhost/tpfund/.

*  *  *
Turkish Philanthropy Funds Contact:
Amber Deniz Kale
Communications Lead
denizk@tpfund.org

Healing comes in many forms, but what truly matters is the willingness to embrace it. Whether it’s the rhythm of yarn and needles, a peaceful moment to breathe, or getting lost in stories that inspire, what truly matters is our willingness to embrace it.

At the Füsun Sayek Community Center in Arsuz, healing begins with your choice. Surrounded by greenery, it offers a peaceful space for all ages to recover, especially after the earthquake.

What started as a tribute to Füsun Sayek, a pioneering Turkish doctor, has grown into a hub for cultural events, workshops, and health services. Today, the Füsun Sayek Association supports education, women’s empowerment, and public health in Arsuz. After the earthquake, TPF helped rebuild a new center for women and children to heal and rebuild.

Thanks to your support, the center remains a haven of comfort and hope, offering activities like painting, reading, and sewing, helping visitors process grief and find hope.

For the past year, the Arsuz Community Center has stayed open, all because of you. Your kindness enables TPF and the Füsun Sayek Association to heal our communities, one person at a time. Thank you.

Meet Meryem, a bright and determined young girl from Kucuknefes village in Yozgat. On a regular day, she helps her parents, taking care of their farm animals, and helping her mom with the housework. 

But Meryem is not like other children in her village. What sets her apart is her passion for reading and her determination. While her peers played in the countryside, she preferred the company of books, and focused on her studies. Her biggest dream is to study at one of the best universities in Turkiye and become a judge, fighting for justice. 

Meryem’s hard work did not go unnoticed. When she took the full scholarship exams offered by TED (Turkish Education Association), she excelled. 

Today, Meryem is under the wings of TED, with the opportunity to excel in her studies without financial worries until she graduates from college. She now has a chance to become the judge she dreams to be. 

Meryem is like a diamond, shining brightly and precious. Yet, she is not the only one. There are thousands of children just like Meryem, relentlessly studying to overcome financial hardships. 

TED has a knack of identifying these diamonds and offering them unparalleled support, helping each one pursue their dreams. After the devastating earthquake last year, TED established a special scholarship fund to support children who lost their parents in the disaster. Today, over 800 students are part of this special fund, gradually overcoming the aftermath of the disaster and focusing on their dreams.

Thanks to your generosity, TPF supports 150 of these children, allowing them to pursue their future aspirations. Thank you for giving these diamonds a chance to shine with your kindness.

Antakya Medeniyetler Korosu, or the Antakya Civilizations Choir, has long stood as a symbol of Antakya‘s legacy of inclusivity. Through music, they have celebrated the rich mosaic of cultures, languages, and religions that define their city. Their performances bring together people of all backgrounds in song and spirit.

The devastating earthquakes on February 6th hit the choir hard, destroying homes, claiming family members, and taking the lives of seven choir members. Yet, thanks to your donations, they’ve been able to reclaim their voice, embodying Antakya‘s resilience and spirit of togetherness.

In the aftermath, their music has not only brought solace to the streets of Antakya but has also emerged as a symbol of hope and endurance across Turkiye. The AntakyaCivilizations Choir continues to sing – not just of loss, but of rebuilding, of remembering, and of moving forward, united in their diversity and stronger than ever before. 

Learn more about our support to Antakya Civilizations Choir and other grants made from TPF’s Earthquake Fund in our 1st Year Earthquake Fund Impact Report.

Thank you for your continued support of the resilient hearts of Antakya.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, we’d like to spotlight the remarkable journey of Sumeyye, a testament to the transformative power of education and community support. Programs like ‘Sparks’ by the Change Leaders Association (DLD) help young women unlock their potential and shatter barriers to gender equality.

Sumeyye’s story not only illuminates the path to individual achievement but also embodies the broader appeal for investing in women and girls—a call to action that resonates deeply in today’s world, facing numerous crises from poverty to climate change. Thanks to your generosity, 112 resilient young women from earthquake-affected regions have had the opportunity to join the Sparks Program.

These empowered women are rebuilding their lives with newfound confidence and determination to pursue education despite the challenges they’ve faced. Through generosity and collective action, we have the power to create a world where gender equality is not just an aspiration but a reality, where every woman and girl has the opportunity to thrive, just like Sumeyye.

Here’s to changing statistics and narratives for the better! 💪🌟