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IN THIS ISSUE: Letter from the President ORGANIZATIONAL NEWS A Letter to ShareAdvisory Council Board of Directors Financial Updates 2005 Donor Roll CULTURAL NEWS Inspiration for our Logo |
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VISION To create
a model for peace and sustainable democracy in the Middle East
by encouraging the growth of Turkish civil society. MISSION To support the education system in Turkey; to strengthen Turkish nonprofit organizations; and to promote cultural exchange. |
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Friends of Anatolia P.O. Box 20511 |
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ORGANIZATIONAL NEWS A Letter to Share We have recently released an introductory letter to spread the word about our organization. Please click here to read our letter and forward it to your friends. |
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Advisory Council We have formed our first advisory council. Many thanks to these wonderful volunteers who accepted to serve as our mentors; Necdet
Aydogan More information will be posted on our website soon. |
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Board of Directors Currently, we have an interim Board of Directors. Until April 15, 2005, we will nominate new candidates for our first full-time board with one and two year term availabilities. Our interim board members will elect the new members on April 27, 2005 for the term starting from June 16, 2005. If you are interested in joining our board, please send us an e-mail |
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Financial Update As of March 17, 2005, we have raised $5,800 from individual donations and company matches for general support. In order to match I. Betil Challenge Gift, we still have to raise $4,200 before the April 15 deadline. Please help us to achieve this financial goal. |
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2005 Donor Roll $500 - $999 $250 - $499 $100 - $249 $0 - $99 2005 Company Matches Macy's |
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Letter from the President Dear Friends, Friends of Anatolia is flying like a bird, and a lot of FIRSTs are happening in these days. We have: * formed our FIRST Advisory Council Now we are sharing our FIRST newsletter with you! Everybody is working real hard to make dreams come true by devoting their time and energy. I am proud to announce that seven out of eight committees are up and running very well. Within the last six months, our volunteer contributions have reached roughly 1,440 hours. This translates to $8,640 in-kind donation, assuming $6 per hour. Currently, our biggest challenge is to match our $10,000 challenge gift before it expires on April 15th. It is very important that we do not lose a “dime” of it. So far, we have raised $5,800 of it from individual contributions and company matches. Please continue to support us by all means because we will continue to work hard to make a difference in people’s lives! Warm Regards, Demet Yezgi |
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First Volunteer Orientation: The orientation will be held on Sunday, March 20th at 2pm on Stanford campus. If you are unavailable for this date, the next orientation will be on Saturday, April 16th. This is a great opportunity to learn more about Friends of Anatolia, to meet with the behind the scenes people and to get involved! We are also very interested in your feedback since this will be our first orientation. If you are available, please send your confirmation to: info@friendsofanatolia.org Look forward to hearing from you!
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I am a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science department of Stanford University. Throughout my academic career, I have read many theories about the role of education, human capital, and civil society in the economic advancement and democratization of developing countries. Friends of Anatolia is an organization where I see myself putting these theories into action. It is very exciting to be a part of it! |
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First school repair is on its way! Dibekduzu is a village within the jurisdiction of Siverek (small town), which in turn is in the province of Sanliurfa (main city). The village is 30 miles away from Siverek. The only means of transportation from the village is a charter bus which does not operate during rainy weather. The village consists of 40 families including its surroundings and total population is around 400. There is no phone or internet connection in the village. Main economic activities of the village are cattle and sheep husbandry and agriculture. Dibekduzu Elementary School has only one classroom and instruction is done in combined grades. The 47 students in grades 1 through 3 are taught together in the mornings while the 19 students in grades 4 and 5 are taught in the afternoon. There are only two teachers assigned to the school. The school has not gone through any major repairs or renovations since it was built in 1983. The window frames are old and starting to rot, letting in a lot of air and dust. The school does not have running water, proper electric or heating system. The restrooms consist of a hut built on the right side of the school building and contain no sink (cleaning is achieved by transporting water.) Currently, we are trying to gather more information and make needs assessment for the school. Our aim is to help these children to get educated in a better environment. Stay tuned! We will keep you posted about the latest developments. |
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Photos of Life in Anatolia
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CULTURAL ARTICLES Inspiration for
our logo When I was really young, I faintly
remember my beautiful mother pinning a gold broche on her jackets
from When Demet relayed what she envisioned for our logo, I immediately thought of my mother’s broche, a replica of the Anatolian twin goddesses from Catalhoyuk. This was the inspiration for my design. |
time to time. I remember
how it looked very simple and brought on a sense of peace at
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Archaeologists
Work at Catalhoyuk Since 2003, Stanford University’s professor Ian Hodder has been taking a small number of students on his long-running excavation at the Neolithic site of Catalhoyuk, near Konya, Turkey. After its discovery in the 1950s, this site gained an international reputation for its large size, its wall paintings, and its burials. Part of the mission of the excavations at Catalhoyuk is to maintain a close connection with the local community. The site employs women and men from the local villages to work at the site. A program for Turkish schoolchildren has been created. Children visit the site to experience the work of archaeologists and see their history first-hand. For more information visit www.catalhoyuk.com |
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Did you know that Anatolia... Is known as the Cradle of Civilization – in
fact, many civilizations have thrived and perished there since
before 9000 BC. Has the earliest landscape painting, dating from 6200 BC |
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Dish of the month Imambayildi is
an eggplant slashed down the middle and stuffed with onions,
garlic, and tomatoes
and then simmered in olive oil to cover. If you want to try this delicious dish, go to TavernaGyros in Sunnyvale, CA or New Kapadokia in Redwood City, CA. |
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Let's Learn Turkish! Bad news: Turkish uses a ‘vowel harmony’— a feature unknown to English speakers. Good news: Turkish grammar is very regular — there are only few exceptions to the rules. Bad news: There are a few extra letters which English does not have. Good news: You pronounce Turkish exactly same way as you spell it. Get conversational! Hi! Yes! Evet No! Hayir Thank you! Reference: A. C. Pollard and D. Pollard "Teach Yourself Turkish" 2002. |
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Thanks for reading our FRIENDLY NEWS. Please share your feedback with us! |
Friends of Anatolia is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization
under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.