About Us

 

One of our first activities, as a means of allowing foreigners who have settled her ‘to give something back’ was to purchase books and other equipment for local schools especially the small schools in outlying villages.  As we started our visits to these schools to deliver our donations we noticed there was often a need for school uniforms, shoes and socks and warm knitted tops so we included these in our donations and are very grateful to the ladies who knit for us.  We obtain required shoe sizes from the teacher and as with the clothes leave them with the teachers to distribute.  We have also provided some classroom furnishings, most notably refurbishing a nursery class in Gokben village in memory of Bob Abraham.

Until the state included provision for the education of children with special needs we formed a liaison with a local special needs school and supported the training needs of four children and their families who would otherwise have been unable to have treatment.  Since that time we have been on the lookout for other medical needs and have helped several children and their families obtain examinations or equipment they could not otherwise have had.  Most notably these include the provision of hearing aids for an eight year old boy, who was previously managing with ‘handed down’ hearing aids and the proper diagnoses and ongoing help for another child with genetic health problems.  Again whilst the state meets the costs of most medical treatments  many families do need help with other costs such as those of travelling to the University Hospitals where specialist treatment is available and perhaps overnight stays etc.

All our work is carried out through the auspices of FETAV, a Turkish foundation with the legal authority to raise money for charity.  All our funds are passed through their accounts and therefore audited annually.  We also provide bursaries for 13 university students from families who cannot otherwise support them.  This constitutes a serious commitment which we will have to work hard to be able to continue.  We also help up to 5 local students whose families need help with fare monies to get them to school—and the demand is growing.

At the end of 2007 we were required to leave our comfortable and FREE home in the FETAV office in the government building as the rooms we used for our sales were to be demolished during the refurbishment of the building. Fortunately we found a small room at a modest rent in the middle of Fethiye.  This allowed us to survive but not develop so at the beginning of 2009, with the help of Çağla Duzenli owner of the Land of Lights Newspaper, we found our current shop in Dolgu Sahısında, which we moved to in May 2009.  Whilst these moves meant we have incurred increased running expenses our new shop has created considerable interest, so we have more volunteers, who now have something to do as we open for much longer hours.  Whilst this has meant that for the first time we have running expenses over and above sundry ones we are confident that the increased sales will keep this at a respectably small percentage of our outgoings.  Especially as all those who work for us are volunteers.

Currently we are growing quickly and are therefore continue to be looking for  volunteers for various tasks from to liaison, publicity and management of projects.  The more help and donations we can receive and the more money we can make, means our help to local children and schools will be that much more effective.

 

We are very grateful to all those who do volunteer for us and all those who support our activities

Fethiye International Group