For each of our EMEA events, Swift sponsors a cause within the framework of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme. For the Swift Business Forum Turkey in Istanbul, we are proud to support ACEV.
ACEV – the Mother Child Education Foundation is a prominent Turkish NGO that focuses on early childhood education, parent training, adult literacy and women’s empowerment programs. Founded in 1993, ACEV’s mission is to provide equal opportunity in education to all by targeting groups in society that are most severely impacted by restricted access to educational services: women and children.
There is strong scientific evidence that the early years (0-6) are the most formative years in terms of cognitive, social, emotional and motor skill development. Thus, providing proper care and stimulation at this early stage is critical to the child’s overall development.
Yet many children around the world still lack access to early childhood education (ECE) services.
The MEK Education and Culture Centre (MEK) was founded in 2007 in Esenler, Istanbul to provide critical support services and basic educational programs for rural-to-urban migrant families, with a specific focus on women and children.
With a population of over half a million, Esenler is one of the largest districts in Istanbul and a haven for migrants coming from the eastern regions of Turkey. Migrant women are arguably one of the most excluded and vulnerable segments, having been transported from a small village setting, they quickly become isolated in city centres that require strong functional literacy skills. Likewise, out of both ignorance and financial inaccessibility, their children are often excluded from social and educational opportunities afforded to peers from more privileged backgrounds.
One of the core programs at MEK are free early childhood preschool education classes for disadvantaged children in the 5+ age group, lasting 24 weeks from September to May. The Preschool Education Program consists of modules that support cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development and are supported by Child Education Program worksheets specially developed by ACEV, used to improve verbal, numerical, and language skills.
The impact of ACEV’s preschool educational programs have been proven through academic studies, where participating children were more likely enroll in primary education, were better prepared to start formal education, show lower drop-out rates and exhibit stronger performance in education than their peers. Furthermore, these children show higher rates of continuing education beyond compulsory years while exhibiting more favorable trajectories of development into young adulthood.
The Swift grant will be used to sponsor the education of 14 preschool children at MEK, including enrollment, school materials, and other activities.
Please visit the website http://www.acev.org if you or your organisation would like to join Swift in supporting ACEV.
