Hope on the horizon for people with disabilities
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Gözde Erdeniz
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 06, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - The planned centers will be a place where disabled people can engage in fun activities like gardening, playing with pets and making friends. Courses designed to provide residents with career skills and help them learn to make a living will be offered on a regular basis.
Tragedy is commonplace among Turkey’s 12.5 million disabled people and their families, but now, a belated initiative is changing lives for of many of them.
Heart-rending stories abound, from the mother who was not able to attend her husband’s funeral because she had no one else to care for her mentally disabled child, to the widowed father who had to leave his disabled son alone to go to work only to return home to find his son had killed himself. A great number of these stories might have been prevented if Turkey had care centers where families of the disabled could leave their children in times of need.
The Koza Care Center project, launched under the auspices of the Turkey-based Dünya Engelliler Derneği, (World Association of the Disabled), a year-and-a-half ago sought to fill this gap. The first centers will be constructed in the provinces of Kütahya and Antalya and the land on which the centers will be built has been secured through the assistance of philanthropists.
However, those who are working to bring this project to life do not wish to rely on donations alone. Pınar Çakmak, marketing director of the Koza Care Centers project, said they would prefer to give something in return to those who wished to help. "Our strategy is to create a win-win model," she said. "We are developing models that will sustain the project. For example, the center at Dumlupınar [a district of Kütahya, in western Turkey], will also function as a thermal resort."
Individuals and companies can help by buying products designed to support the project, such as postcards and catalogs by the renowned visually-impaired painter, Eşref Armağan, and phone cards that make international calls 80 percent cheaper. The project also has its own song, "Okyanus," (Ocean), sung by Grup Tual and Gizem Güneş. The song can be downloaded as a ring tone by writing "ENGEL" (disability) and sending it to 3595. Construction will begin once 3,000 ring tones have been sold.
The goal of the project is to open care center in every city in Turkey. The centers for the physically and mentally disabled will be kept separate and those in the greatest need will have priority. The centers will open their doors not only to people with disabilities who have no one to care for them, but also to those who need to stay for short periods when relatives have health problems or they wish to take a vacation. "The families of millions of disabled people watch their lives go by because they do not have a place where they can leave their children, even for a single night. Some parents have even postponed medical operations, simply because there is no institution that will take care of their children in their absence," said Cemal Tanık, the coordinator of the Koza Care Centers project.
The care centers also aim to help the disabled lead more meaningful lives. The centers will be a place where disabled people can engage in gardening, play with pets and make friends. Courses designed to provide residents with career skills and help them make a living will be offered regularly. The parents of those with disabilities will also be able to receive counseling at the centers.
The first care center in Dumlupınar will accommodate 400 people. Construction is expected to begin in May 2009, if the project reaches its financial goal of TL 4 million.
More information about the project can be found at http://www.kozabakimevleri.com.
Heart-rending stories abound, from the mother who was not able to attend her husband’s funeral because she had no one else to care for her mentally disabled child, to the widowed father who had to leave his disabled son alone to go to work only to return home to find his son had killed himself. A great number of these stories might have been prevented if Turkey had care centers where families of the disabled could leave their children in times of need.
The Koza Care Center project, launched under the auspices of the Turkey-based Dünya Engelliler Derneği, (World Association of the Disabled), a year-and-a-half ago sought to fill this gap. The first centers will be constructed in the provinces of Kütahya and Antalya and the land on which the centers will be built has been secured through the assistance of philanthropists.
However, those who are working to bring this project to life do not wish to rely on donations alone. Pınar Çakmak, marketing director of the Koza Care Centers project, said they would prefer to give something in return to those who wished to help. "Our strategy is to create a win-win model," she said. "We are developing models that will sustain the project. For example, the center at Dumlupınar [a district of Kütahya, in western Turkey], will also function as a thermal resort."
Individuals and companies can help by buying products designed to support the project, such as postcards and catalogs by the renowned visually-impaired painter, Eşref Armağan, and phone cards that make international calls 80 percent cheaper. The project also has its own song, "Okyanus," (Ocean), sung by Grup Tual and Gizem Güneş. The song can be downloaded as a ring tone by writing "ENGEL" (disability) and sending it to 3595. Construction will begin once 3,000 ring tones have been sold.
The goal of the project is to open care center in every city in Turkey. The centers for the physically and mentally disabled will be kept separate and those in the greatest need will have priority. The centers will open their doors not only to people with disabilities who have no one to care for them, but also to those who need to stay for short periods when relatives have health problems or they wish to take a vacation. "The families of millions of disabled people watch their lives go by because they do not have a place where they can leave their children, even for a single night. Some parents have even postponed medical operations, simply because there is no institution that will take care of their children in their absence," said Cemal Tanık, the coordinator of the Koza Care Centers project.
The care centers also aim to help the disabled lead more meaningful lives. The centers will be a place where disabled people can engage in gardening, play with pets and make friends. Courses designed to provide residents with career skills and help them make a living will be offered regularly. The parents of those with disabilities will also be able to receive counseling at the centers.
The first care center in Dumlupınar will accommodate 400 people. Construction is expected to begin in May 2009, if the project reaches its financial goal of TL 4 million.
More information about the project can be found at http://www.kozabakimevleri.com.