New Hopes for the New Year
Manavgat Forest Fire
2021 was a hard year for all of us, but what impacted us the most were the fires in four different parts of Manavgat that burned down thousands of trees and wild and farm animals. Life as we know it stopped, every breath that we took filling our lungs with ash. Children who lived in villages saw their houses burn into a handful of ashes.
Children were impacted more than anyone during this time.
They experienced lots of trauma after seeing their homes burn along with their hopes, dreams, and memories. Though we are not in close range of these areas, we wanted to help these students with emotional and traumatic memories.
Değirmenli Elementary & Middle School
There is an elementary and middle school in Antalya Manavgat that has been greatly impacted by these fires. Some students who attend this, small two-story building, lost their houses because of the fires and economic barriers that force them to live in temporary container housing. Every day children from far away villages walk long distances to get to Değirmenli Elementary and Middle School filled with hope and dreams for their future.
We Are Also in Manavgat…
Even though Anatolia is far from our country, the Bridge to Turkey Fund (BTF) Family is sending their hope and support.
Seeing all the children in Manavgat, we felt it was up to us to get them back on their feet, give them a fresh start to their lives, enjoy life, and have them paint the sky blue.
What did we do for Değirmenli Elementary School in Manavgat?
Art Kits
As we all know, art can improve someone’s psychology. To help our children forget their struggles during the time of the fire, we got them colorful markers to use to create new hopes and dreams and white paper for them to draw on. Even drawing just a smiley face helps them connect art to the real world.
We helped kids create art from dreams…
Tablet Support
Physical and economic barriers have made it that many children grow up without technology, so we decided to help the children in Manavgat deal with the same issue. We provided 10 tablets for Değirmenli Elementary School. Thanks to those tablets, students can access information when and where they want which can help them stay engaged in projects, research, classes, and help develop their technology skills to be more prepared for the future.
Playing educational games in a virtual environment helps children improve self-confidence and become more engaged in day-to-day life.
Math Kit
When you first think of mathematics, you think of numbers, and over time children start to fear numbers. This is because of how complex the structure of mathematics seems, but it’s the opposite! Math education that is provided with these kits will help students enjoy math and have fun!
We must help children fight their fears, so they can continue to learn fearlessly. Using these kit help create educational memories which they will continue to remember.
Music Kit
For students to come alive with joy, we want there to be music at Değirmenli Elementary and Middle School.
We used the sounds from musical instruments to make the kids laugh, have fun, learn more about music, and appreciate its importance.
Laboratory Support
With your support in using the “Our Turkey Disaster Fund,” we have established a well-equipped science and technology laboratory for Değirmenli Elementary and Middle School, which was severely impacted by the Manavgat fire.
This laboratory makes it possible for children to learn from hands-on experience instead of exclusively learning from books. This will help them remember what they learned more effectively, and it will lead our children towards research and becoming experts in the field of science.
For example, if a child examines blood cells under a microscope or makes observations on a 3D human model, they will realize the importance of science in human life and will continue to advance in the scientific field.
Everyone knows that science started as a necessity. As children experiment in the scientific field, they will create new foundations for inventions and create new hope.
After all that has happened, the BTF Family worked hard to embrace every child, wiped tears that fell on their faces, and left a smile in its place. With the children’s help, we brought the sun back out, repainted the gray sky blue. We brightened every dreary day with the bright lights of hope.
We started the New Year with new hopes…
As BTF, we would like to thank all our supporters who have crossed oceans and stood by us and the teachers we trust with our children.
Thanks to your support, we have changed more children’s lives and are glad to have you…
The “Bridge to Türkiye Fund” is a non-governmental organization approved by the United Nations, consisting entirely of volunteers.
Bridge to Türkiye Fund (BTF) is a US-based, volunteer-run, charitable non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization. Contributions made to BTF are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by IRS. BTF’s tax identification number is 58–678580.
