About Us

The Işıkevi Education and Solidarity Foundation was founded in Ankara in 2009 when a group of teachers, engineers and business people came together around one idea: to give every child who cannot study, or who has to leave school because of financial hardship, not just money but continuity. In the first year we gave scholarships to 42 high school students; today we provide monthly scholarships, mentoring and career support to 520 students every year.

Why education and solidarity together?

Whether a child stays in school depends on more than the size of a scholarship. Enough food at home, access to clean water in the village, a warm classroom and an adult who offers guidance matter just as much. That is why our six programmes complement each other: the scholarship programme, school and dormitory support, food and basic needs, water wells and infrastructure, mentoring and careers, and disaster and emergency relief.

Seventeen years in numbers

• 7,480 students have benefited from the scholarship programme
• Wells opened in 96 villages, giving about 57,000 people clean water
• More than 186,000 food parcels delivered to families
• 3,800 active volunteers and representation offices and solidarity centres in 5 cities

How are we governed?

The foundation is governed by a nine-member board of trustees and a seven-member audit board. Board members are not paid. Our accounts are reviewed every year by an independent audit firm, and you can download our activity and audit reports from the Transparency and Reports page. In 2025, 86.2% of donations went directly to programmes, 9.1% to administration and 4.7% to fundraising.

Our relationship with donors rests on keeping them informed: we issue an e-receipt for every donation and send an illustrated field report when a project is complete. You can call us with questions, visit our offices or join us in the field as a volunteer.