AGM 2007

FIG CHAIR’S REPORT 02 03 2007

 

We are now able to celebrate three full years of FIG raising money for the benefit of local children.  We work under the auspices of and with the active cooperation of FETAV, a registered Turkish charity with aims to promote Fethiye both culturally and environmentally.  The philosophy underlying our organisation is for the foreigners who have chosen to settle in this beautiful area to have an authorised means of working with the local community and making a positive contribution to that community.  We chose children because they are the future of us all.

Our main fund raising activity is the Friday sales and book exchange, which proves ever popular with queues waiting at the door demanding to be let in on time.  We are grateful to all those who so generously give us items to sell and to the regular customers, but especially to those faithful volunteers who turn out every Friday to make this event possible.

On Wednesday mornings, courtesy of the Café Tadım, we hold a coffee morning for folk to come to after choosing new books to read and to meet friends, chat and or play Backgammon or Okey.  We also have four volunteers working in schools helping children with their spoken English and more volunteers waiting to be placed, but it seems difficult for some schools to work out how to use them.

During this last year we have also raised money by holding two fetes and some social events including boat trips and a valentine’s party.  Of particular note is the efforts made by Kathryn Kanat, a Thomas Cook rep who single handedly raised £1,000 through her work with tourists and raising our profile with them.  Neşe also runs her Beginners Turkish lessons donating 25% of her income to our funds.  2006 was therefore a successful year when we raised our largest sum yet, details of which you will learn from our treasurer.

Our accounts are fully recorded and are held in a bank account exclusively for our use, but in FETAV’s name and therefore are audited annually under their accounts.  Our expenses are minimal and cover petrol for the school runs, a small amount of printing and copying and some materials needed to support our events like tables, hangers and clothes racks.  None of our volunteers receive any expenses for their efforts nor do they make any money for themselves.  Therefore we achieve the ability to use well over 90% of our income for charitable purposes.

As the Turkish State now covers the fees for training children with special needs we have been able to divert more of our funds into the local schools – our visits are to schools designated by the Area Manager of Education and with his permission.  This year has seen us largely returning to the needier smaller village schools.  We now not only purchase books including coloured encyclopaedias and other useful sets, but also, during our visits look into other needs the schools have, such as school uniforms, furniture, wall posters, shoes etc. etc.  We have increased our bursaries for university students and hope to do so again next academic year.

This year has seen increased requests for help towards medical expenses, such as travel for the child and a carer and fees for some tests or examinations or equipment that still fall outside State help.  We ensure that requests for such help are substantiated by medical reports and that the money is used for that purpose.  In particular we are keen to raise funds for a child, discovered during a school visit, who needs a special hearing aid which will cost around 2,000TLY.  Once the hearing aid is purchased this little boy will receive lifelong support from the manufacturers, but more importantly it will enable him to get so much more out of his life and education and make his contribution more effective.  We have a second request for a child with hydrocephalus, who is eligible for the operation to insert a shunt, but the family, who have a green card entitling them to medical treatments, apparently have to purchase the shunt.  We are currently investigating the price of this item but it looks as if it is an impossible sum for the family to raise by themselves.

 

This year FIG has come to the notice of the British Council, largely I believe because of its successful integration with a Turkish organisation and the intercultural activities it promotes.  Albeit that this resulted in me being asked to partake in a photo shoot as one of 40 English people living and doing things in Turkey, there is no doubt that it is the achievements of FIG that led to the interest and these are certainly down to the cooperation of many more people than myself.  I was surprised to find myself leading such an organisation and it never was my idea, but I have been able to facilitate its adoption and integration due to my 30 years of being known to Fethiye residents since my marriage to a local.  The exhibition, with Annabel Elston as photographer of the English in Turkey will be linked with the work of Muammer Yanmaz a Turkish photographer, who took pictures of 40 Turks living in England.  The photos are taken in metro stations or other places of travel and the theme is what have you gained from your adopted country and what have you contributed.

 

In conclusion FIG is now a well based, secure and successful charity that is there for all foreigners living here to make a contribution to the local community within the legal requirements of this country.  Our aim for the year ahead of us is to continue to increase the money we raise and spend as there are so many good causes waiting to be meet.  We would very much like to increase our volunteer base and will welcome contacts from any who want to help.  In particular we would like to work in conjunction with those who are capable of running successful fund raising evenings so we can more rapidly answer the sort of needs illustrated by the two little boys, one with hearing difficulties and the other with hydrocephalus.  So I thank all of you who have taken the time to either listen to or read this speech and look forward to hearing about more fund raising ideas and enquiries about the possibilities of cooperation with others who also want to support our activities.

 

Sue Tekin

Chair of FIG

 

 

fethiye international group