I was 12 years old. I have heard that I can’t do many things simply because I am a girl. I wanted to follow that ‘guidance’ provided by my elders, but it just didn’t make sense to me. One day my teachers recommended me for a summer study program in the United States because I have had really good grades.  But my family and relatives decided it was not safe for a girl at my age to travel abroad alone, so they sent my brother instead.

Yes, I was only 12 years old when I faced my first case of gender inequality. That incident changed  my outlook on life going forward. Since then I worked very hard, I had a very successful academic life followed by a thriving career in finance. Late last year, I had an epiphany. I realized I was driven by my past in trying to prove to the society that as a woman I was just as capable as men and with that  Educ8 Empowerment Education Program was born. We have different strengths and weaknesses, but we are all human. Unlike anything else I have done in life, I find endless energy and strength to keep fighting the inherent biases in society that places girls at a disadvantage from a very young age.

Turkish Philanthropy Funds enabled me to turn my dream of bringing five young women in college with economic difficulties from Turkey to New York for English education into a reality. TPF shared their platform and services and made a tremendous impact on the direction of this cause. I am thankful to all the members of this wonderful organization for their support. We are working closely with Cagdas Yasami Destekleme Dernegi (CYDD), a vetted TPG grantee partner and they are assisting with selection of the candidates and planning process in Turkey. The program will expand these girls’ horizons and help them believe that they can dream big and not be stopped due to their gender, background, and economic status. If you also believe in addressing gender equality in education, please join me!”

Last year, when our daughter Ayla turned three, we went the predictable three-year-old birthday party route. Reluctant to have her twenty friends in our NY apartment, we rented a small children’s party area, had some food delivered, got a cake, prepared games, and bought party favors. It was not an extravagant event by any means, but nonetheless the day cost us well over a thousand dollars.  For her part, Ayla cried through the cake cutting, unhappy with all the attention. Otherwise she, and the other children, ran around like chickens with their heads cut off: with no discernible rhyme or reason. Overall the whole event was chaotic, exhausting and expensive for us, and not too memorable for her.

There had to be a better way.

As Ayla’s fourth birthday loomed on us this year, my husband and I sat and discussed our options. We knew we wanted to celebrate her birth by doing something meaningful, but what? I remembered a conversation I had with Şenay Ataselim Yilmaz, the COO of Turkish Philanthropy Funds, a public charity that specializes in working with budding philanthropists. Şenay had told me that if I ever wanted to start a charity campaign, they would work with me every step of the way. They would collect the donations, thus ensuring that they were tax-deductible. They would also be instrumental once the money had been collected. They would do the due diligence of the non-profit organizations we would ultimately partner with to accomplish our goal.  In short, they would follow the process start to finish.

But what should our campaign be about?

The answer to that question came, appropriately, from Ayla. Our daughter loves to read as much as her parents do. Her room and her life are teeming with books. Nonetheless, when we asked her what gift she wanted for her birthday, she answered without hesitation: More books. It got us thinking.  The world is filled with curious little girls. What happens to the ones who do not have access to books?

I knew that in my home country of Turkey, especially in its eastern-most regions, children’s books are a luxury item, practically unattainable. Let’s put it this way:  According to a 2011 census by the Turkish Statistical Institute, the bottom 20% of Turkish families living in rural areas had about 200 Turkish Lira (TL) as their monthly disposable income.  That income must ultimately shelter, clothe and feed a whole family for an entire month. Imagine that you lived off of that 200 TL (approximately $128). A kilogram of potatoes costs 1 TL. A kilogram of tomatoes costs 3 TL. A t-shirt costs 5 TL. Meanwhile a colorful hardcover children’s book costs up to 15 TL. What would you buy?

Certainly not the children’s book.

The results are in! We asked you to give us your opinion on what programs we should prioritize in 2013 to have a positive impact on Turkey and you’ve responded! Read on to hear top results.

When we asked our readers what they thought was the greatest challenge Turkey faced for the upcoming year, the responses overwhelmingly indicated gender equality and education. Additionally, you felt we should focus more time working with programs and projects that ensure education is more affordable and accessible to all, this includes women and girls!

We were also interested in learning how our donors would like to help TPF achieve these goals. Here, we give our donors the option to choose if they would like to donate to a specific project, give to a fund that helps all projects or start their own fund. Through your responses, we learned that you are most inclined to give when we show you projects that are in need of help, so you can give directly to a project.

Lastly, responders to the survey vowed to help TPF by not only donating to our causes, but spreading the word. You said you would help us make a difference in Turkey by keeping informed and telling your friends about our cause via social media. Click the ‘Like’ or ‘Share’ button below to do your part and help, today!

Well, TPF is listening to your responses. At the moment, we have ten ongoing projects that support gender equality and eighteen projects tackling education for all!

Where the world thinks TPF will go in 2013

On top of what you think should happen in the next 12 months, we wanted to touch upon predictions for where philanthropy is going in the New Year.

In 2013, world sees crowdfunding going mainstream. This means you, your friends and family will be spending more time raising funds for causes that mean something to you. Here at TPF, we saw this coming! That’s why we created the start-a-campaign capability. This way, you can raise funds under your own name, and give to the project of your choice! You may choose to run a race, host a party, or just share via social media to get your contacts involved.

Another prediction points towards food and water insecurity. On top of all the social issues our globe faces, we will be challenges to tackle natural disasters. TPF is proud to announce a new partnership with an organization that specifically handles sustainability in Turkey.

Even though the survey has closed…have a suggestion? Email info@tpfund.org. We would love to hear from you!