Foundation supports ‘Girls Not Brides’ project

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Sabancı Holding Chairwoman Güler Sabancı (M) poses with Sabancı Foundation General Manager Zerrin Koyunsağan (R) and director Filiz Bikmen (L). Hürriyet photo

The Flying Broom Association, which is supported by Sabancı Holding, will host the global summit of U.S.-based “Girls Not Brides” initiative in Istanbul next year.

The Sabancı Foundation has provided 5.6 million liras of support to non-governmental organizations (NGO) to date.

“Our support grows like a snowball. The NGOs we support have also begun to receive international backing,” said Sabancı Holding Chairwoman Güler Sabancı. She said that in addition to financial support, they also shared know-how regarding project management with the NGOs.

Sabancı Foundation General Manager Zerrin Koyunsağan said the Sabancı Foundation was the only foundation in Turkey that supported smaller NGOs on a project basis, like in the international arena. She said it was important that such initiatives grew and that the Bolu Social Support Foundation had also been launched to provide such grants.

“It is a loss for our country that women, the young and the disabled cannot participate in life as they should. If these groups advance, we advance too,” Güler Sabancı said.

Sharing experiences

“The problem of child brides is not just Turkey’s issue, it also exists in Mexico, the U.S and Afghanistan. Therefore, it is very important to share experiences of other countries that have been successful,” she added. The foundation has realized 28 projects in 81 provinces of Turkey.