“Dad, Send Me to School” Campaign
Acknowledging that one of Turkey’s most pressing issues is education, particularly the lack of education for girls, Milliyet newspaper launched the "Dad, Send Me to School" project in 2005 to contribute to the education of girls who will play leading roles in raising future generations. The project aims to help females, who represent half of the population, to get involved as productive individuals in improving the welfare level in Turkey.
Stemming from an idea originally conceived by Hanzade Doğan Boyner, the Deputy Chairperson of Doğan Gazetecilik, this comprehensive and effective campaign identified 15 priority provinces in which to focus its activities. Milliyet, the campaign’s leader, contributed 1 million TL to the initiative, while numerous establishments extended support for dormitories, classrooms and scholarships.
Working toward its primary objective of spreading education mobilization across the country and ensuring that every girl in the country receives a proper education, the “Dad, Send Me to School” campaign is designed and implemented as a three-faceted project incorporating financial support, raising social awareness, and the elimination of structural problems.
In the five years since its introduction, the construction of 32 dormitories has been funded by Milliyet and various other entities; approximately 10,000 girls have been given educational grants and the construction of 11 elementary schools has been completed.
In addition, training seminars entitled “My Child and I” were offered to 500 parents in five provinces, in conjunction with the Mother Child Education Foundation (AÇEV). A special two-day training program was provided for administrators of elementary schools offering boarding facilities in rural and urban areas. Kamil Koç Otobüsleri, an intercity coach company, furnished and equipped the common rooms in the dormitories. Female students residing in the dormitories also received music lessons.
The program continues to expand: the foundation has been laid for a versatile cooperation with Turkish universities. Within the scope of its course on Social Sensitivity, Sabancı University organized visits to Kars Merkez Vaksa Dormitory for Girls and Sarıkamış Milliyet Dormitory for Girls. Işık University added a Social Responsibility course to its curriculum, under which it has carried out various activities at Mardin Milliyet Dormitory for Girls.
In collaboration with the Turkish Family Health & Planning Foundation (TAPV), seminars on hygiene and health were conducted for female students living in the dormitories. Annual one-week training programs for dormitory managers and teachers are held in Istanbul, focusing on issues of puberty, dormitory management, communication skills, budget management and other relevant topics.
Milliyet newspaper used its media power to create public awareness and enhance social sensitivity about the issue. Giving dedicated coverage to the problems involved in the education of girls, Milliyet has been highly instrumental in the resolution of some structural issues such as the assignment of female administrators for girls' dorms and amendment of scholarship regulations. Standing for trust in the press, Milliyet’s appeal to the entire country for support in the campaign has generated enormous response from its readers.
The “Dad, Send Me to School” campaign also received heartfelt support from a vast number of individuals as well as companies, ranging from students who donated their pocket money to Limak Holding, which built a dormitory. The Hacı Ömer Sabancı Foundation; various Governor's offices; the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB); Petrol Ofisi, which provided scholarships to girls; the Turkish Economy Bank (TEB); Metro Group; Garanti Bank; Enka Foundation; Borusan Foundation; Oriflame; and Siemens were all among the many other supporters of the campaign.
The Association in Support of Contemporary Living (ÇYDD) has been one of Milliyet’s most active and important partners in this campaign. Other active contributors included organizations such as the Turkish Association of University Women (TÜKD), TAPV, AÇEV, the Ministry of National Education, and local authorities.
The campaign has witnessed a large-scale mobilization, and raised donations of approximately 34 million TL. The nearly 300,000 individuals who have donated to the campaign serve as a clear indicator of how deeply the Turkish people have been moved by this initiative.
The “Dad, Send Me to School” Auction
The first of the 2010 events was the “Dad, Send Me to School” Auction, held on March 23. Paintings from 56 Turkish artists, as well as 11 other artists from the theatre, cinema, music, and literature, were sold in an auction and the income was used in the construction of dormitories for female students.
The “Dad, Send Me to School” Photography Exhibition
Another significant event in 2010 for this campaign was the “Dad, Send Me to School” Photography Exhibition, held from December 1 to December 8. Eight renowned directors came together for this project and took photographs relating to girls and education. Just five copies were printed for each of the resulting 30 photographs; all were offered for sale. The income was put towards the construction of dormitories.
Dad, Send Me To School