Association for the Support of Contemporary Life
Association for the Support of Contemporary Life is a non-profit NGO in Turkey. The main office is in Istanbul and there are 103 branch offices nationwide. The association helps girls across Turkey to obtain an education, ultimately promoting gender equality.
History
Association for the Support of Contemporary Life was founded on 10 February 1989 by a group of Turkish female academicians headed by Aysel Ekşi in Istanbul. Next year Türkan Saylan was elected as the chairperson of the ÇYDD; from then on she became the symbol of ÇYDD. In the same year branch offices of ÇYDD began to be opened in other cities. In 1995, a subsidiary foundation of ÇYDD was founded. On 18 May 2009, Türkan Saylan died and in the next week, Aysel Çelikel a former government minister became the next chairperson.Purpose
ÇYDD supports the modernization reforms of Kemal Atatürk. The official statement of ÇYDD is:ÇYDD is especially active in fighting against the gender discrimination and illiteracy of women. Its motto is "Future assurance of Modern Turkey".
Achievements
- ÇYDD have awarded scholarships to 117,147 students.
- ÇYYD has commissioned 130 schools or dormitory buildings
- ÇYDD have donated 319,000 books to various schools and established 20 libraries
- Following 1999 İzmit earthquake, ÇYDD established and opened 17 rehabilitation and community centers especially for the women and the children.
- ÇYDD established Human Rights Training at Coffee Houses.