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24 November 2023
P&G Turkey aims to make its assistance efforts permanent from the first day of the earthquake, expanding the Hope Movement with the Hope House project, Sports School, and Support Center.
P&G Turkey brings hope to Islahiye with Hope House, Sports School, and Support Center.
Aligned with its corporate citizenship approach of touching lives with kindness, P&G Turkey initiated the Hope House Project in Islahiye, Gaziantep, to make its assistance efforts permanent since the first day of the earthquake disaster on February 6th. The Hope House project, which offers services under three different headings, includes the Support Center established in collaboration with the Community Volunteers Foundation (TOG) to support the social activities and education of children and young people, and the Sports School, which enables them to receive sports training in collaboration with the Turkish National Olympic Committee. In addition to these, dental care units, baby care rooms, and library services are also provided under the Hope House project.
In his speech at the opening ceremony, Tankut Turnaoğlu, Chairman of P&G Turkey, Caucasus and Central Asia, said, "Even though 10 months have passed since the earthquake, support needs to continue to heal the wounds of the region." He added, "With the motto 'We will heal together,' we focused on meeting the needs permanently with our brands on the one hand and being a lifeline to social life on the other, and started our Hope House Project." In the Sports School initiated under the Hope House, children and young people have started their training sessions in sports such as basketball, volleyball, football, and athletics under the guidance of coaches. Various activities, workshops, and trainings are provided at the Youth Support Center to contribute to the rehabilitation of children and young people.
P&G Turkey, which is committed to "improving lives" with its contribution projects to society in addition to its innovative products, has refreshed hopes with its new projects. Continuing its earthquake relief efforts for the earthquake zone since February 6th, P&G Turkey opened the doors of the complex consisting of the Hope House Sports School, Support Center, and care containers in Islahiye, Gaziantep, to make its support permanent and accelerate the healing process with a ceremony.
The opening ceremony of the complex, which will serve approximately 2,000 people in Memurkent Container City, was hosted by Tankut Turnaoğlu, Chairman of P&G Turkey, Caucasus and Central Asia, with the participation of İslahiye District Governor Mehmet Soylu, İslahiye Mayor Kemal Vural, President of the Turkish National Olympic Committee (TMOK) Prof. Dr. Uğur Erdener, Secretary General of the Turkish National Olympic Committee (TMOK) Neşe Gündoğan, Founder and Board Member of the Community Volunteers Foundation İbrahim Betil, General Manager of the Community Volunteers Foundation (TOG) Ayşe Kırımlı, public officials, and national Olympic athletes including our national boxers Buse Naz Çakıroğlu and her mother Duygu Çakıroğlu, our national judoka Bilal Çiloğlu, our national pentathlete İlke Özyüksel and her mother Gülcan Özyüksel.
The presentation of the ceremony was undertaken by national basketball player, television presenter, sports manager, Member of the Board of Directors of the Turkish National Olympic Committee and Member of the Gender Equality Commission of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) Şükran Albayrak.
The dental care unit, which provides free oral care services five days a week, the baby care room where mothers can breastfeed and change their babies, and the library service where children can study and read books provided by the "Hope House" focus on meeting the basic needs of the residents in the region. P&G Turkey, in partnership with TOG and TMOK, initiated the project in İslahiye, Gaziantep, to provide support to the children and young people affected by the earthquake. As an extension of its Olympic sponsorship commitment, P&G announced in June that it will open a Sports School in the earthquake zone on the road to Paris 2024. The Sports School, established in collaboration with the Turkish National Olympic Committee (TMOK), allows children and young people aged 6-16 to receive training in main sports such as volleyball, football, handball, and basketball under the guidance of coaches. At the Youth Support Center established in collaboration with the Turkish Community Volunteers Foundation (TOG) within the complex, workshops in various topics, cultural and artistic education, school support activities, and various events are held seven days a week for children and young people affected by the earthquake.
Supports becoming permanent and sustainable
Tankut Turnaoğlu said in his speech at the opening, "We are here to do better in solidarity to heal our wounds." Tankut Turnaoğlu, stated that as P&G Turkey, they will provide assistance in all areas from sports to education, from meeting hygiene needs to psychosocial support for those affected by the earthquake with the complex they have implemented in cooperation with TMOK and TOG in Islahiye. Emphasizing that their goal is to "heal" the effects of the destruction with more permanent and sustainable solutions, Turnaoğlu said, "Since the first day of the earthquake, we have tried to deliver our aid effectively to the affected area both within our organization and with the institutions we collaborate with. As the P&G family, we focused on meeting the needs of the region with all our brands in line with our competencies and abilities. We continue to reach out to those in need with our products to meet their daily care needs. But we know that there is a very long and not so easy process ahead to truly stand up again. For this reason, we focused on meeting the needs permanently on the one hand and being a lifeline to social life on the other hand with the corporate citizenship duty we undertook and started our Hope House Project."
President of the Turkish National Olympic Committee (TMOK) Prof. Dr. Uğur Erdener said, "TMOK has encouraged tens of thousands of children to engage in sports, contributing to their growth with sports awareness and culture through the sports schools it has established in many cities of our country over the years. Today, we are here with P&G Turkey and the Community Volunteers Foundation to support the children and young people of Islahiye affected by the earthquake. Children and young people living in Islahiye will be able to receive training in fun athletics, volleyball, basketball, handball, and football branches two days a week with our coaches. We are very happy to bring the healing power of sports to the earthquake zone with P&G."
İbrahim Betil, Founder and Board Member of the Community Volunteers Foundation (TOG), who explained that they have also implemented Support Centers in the 5 provinces where the destruction was most severe in the earthquake zone, said, "P&G's Hope House project went one step further by combining the Support Center with the Sports School and care containers for personal needs, and thus accomplished a very different and comprehensive work in the earthquake zone." Stressing the importance of both physical conditions and social and personal care needs in the healing process of those affected by the earthquake, Betil said, "As TOG, we are proud to be part of this project."
"I am proud to be part of this project"
National boxer Buse Naz Çakıroğlu said, "The healing power of sports is perhaps the most important detail in my story of starting boxing. Sports, which I started to support my brother's recovery after a difficult operation due to a broken arm in 2009, completely changed my life. I truly believe that there are great positive changes in the lives of every child who meets sports. Supporting physical, mental, and spiritual development, sports also strengthens children's self-confidence, enabling them to hold on to life stronger and with hope. I am very happy and proud to contribute to the healing of children and young people affected by the earthquake through this meaningful project implemented today."