Educational Support Projects

The Human Resources Foundation of Turkey (TİKAV)

Since its establishment, TIKAV has provided scholarships and educational opportunities to university students through a program called the Individual Development Program. Between 2001 and 2003, the Foundation implemented the International Youth Awards Program on a national scale. (For more information on TIKAV please click here)

Youth Award Association

The Youth Award Association, which Akfen Holding AŞ supports as a main sponsor, was authorized by the British International Award Association as the sole entity that can implement, promote and audit the International Youth Award Program in Turkey as of October 19, 2003. The Association aspires to achieve societal development by contributing to the individual and social development of young people through this program it administers.

London School of Economics

The establishment of Turkish Studies chairs at leading universities around the world is an essential element of Turkey's promotional activities abroad. Such professorship chairs are important not only for the promotion of Turkish history and culture, but also for providing a platform to express Turkey's point of view and opinions on current events outside of the country. In this context, a chair on Contemporary Turkish Studies was established the London School of Economics thanks to the efforts of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Akfen is pleased to support such an important project geared toward promoting Turkey.

Ülkü Akın Elementary School

In its efforts to contribute to Turkey's development, Akfen provided students in Ankara with an elementary school, Ülkü Akın Elementary School, in the 1993-1994 academic year.

Hikmet Akın Elementary School

The Hikmet Akın Elementary School was opened in Düzce for the 2004-2005 academic year.

Kayseri Province Solidarity Association

Akfen supports the Kayseri Province Solidarity Association, an organization that provides scholarships with no payback obligations for academically worthy, but economically underprivileged, university students from Kayseri who are studying in Istanbul. Another objective of the Association is to establish computer labs in the province of Kayseri and surrounding districts and villages. As a token of its support, Akfen equipped Tomarza District's Sarımehmetli Elementary School with a computer lab.

TAV Izmir Support for Gaziemir

Hıgh School

TAV Airports Holding also supports social development in the regions where it operates airports. As a social responsibility project, TAV Izmir, the operator of the Adnan Menderes Airport International Terminal, sponsored Gaziemir High School students at the Turkish Athletic Championship held at Izmir Atatürk Stadium on May 5-6, 2007.

Building More Schools Campaign

In Turkey, one of the largest obstacles standing in the way of children's enrollment in school, particularly girls, is the shortage of classrooms. In this context, the television channel NTV and the UNICEF Turkey National Committee, in a broadcast on NTV in April, called for support for the "Building More Schools" campaign to provide additional prefabricated classrooms. The campaign, which TAV Airports Holding also supported with donations, is a continuation of the previously launched "Come on Girls, Let's Go to School" campaign and aims to create awareness about the importance of education. IBS Sigorta ve Reasürans Brokerliği A.Ş. (IBS Insurance and Reinsurance Brokerage Co.), an Akfen Holding subsidiary, also supports the "Building More Schools" campaign.

Other Educational Projects

In its role as the supporter of many educational institutions, Akfen has donated 194 computers to the National Education Directorate of Yalova Province to be distributed to 18 schools as part of the Ministry of Education's Computer Donation Campaign. In addition, Akfen Holding continues to meet the needs of elementary schools with supplies such as computers, copiers and books in response to demands it receives from various parts of Turkey.

Akfen also sponsored the book "Şu Çılgın Türkler" (Those Crazy Turks) which was distributed to 20,000 students at Akdeniz University

TAV contribution to the Educational Reform Initiative

Education tops the issues that need improvement in the world and in Turkey. To this end, Akfen Holding supports the Educational Reform Initiative which brings together the bureaucracy, universities, schools and non-governmental organizations for the purpose of formulating a participatory and creative idea generation process. The long-term aim of the Educational Reform Initiative is to translate the ideas generated in this process into a reform-monitoring center that will pass on these ideas to all stakeholders in the area of education.

Support for Education from MIP

Mersin Uluslararası Liman İşletmeciliği A.Ş. (Mersin International Port Operations-MIP), an Akfen Holding subsidiary, supplied 500 needy children with school uniforms and another 500 students with limited means with the necessary school supplies at the beginning of the 2007-2008 academic year. In addition, children of every age group at State orphanages were provided with educational sets to support the development of their intellectual and manual skills.

Scholarships were awarded to high school graduates who passed their university entrance exams but were unable to enroll due to financial reasons. Financial support was provided for construction of a school undertaken by the Mersin Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MTSO). MIP provided funds for the publication of two books on Narcotics Addiction and Internet Addiction as part of the Yenigün Project of the Provincial Security Directorate, targeting secondary school students in particular.