Here is the association’s logo, which features a human figure that can stand on its own feet and fly with its own wings:
The TIDER Logo
With this awareness, the Basic Needs Association has undertaken several important missions that Türkiye needs more than ever today. Firstly, to meet the basic needs of those in need, such as food, cleaning products, and clothing, in a dignified manner. Secondly, to provide those in need with vocational training so they can become self-sufficient—a fundamental need, in our view. Thirdly, to prevent waste while doing all of this. And finally, to ensure that individuals, institutions, and organizations work together in this national solidarity.
As the name suggests, we meet the basic needs of those in need without violating human dignity. First, at our Support Market, which meets the standards of an international supermarket chain, we provide essential products such as food, cleaning products, and clothing within specified limits. At the Support Market, which employs a closed-loop, cashless payment system, people in need shop within the limits assigned by the district governor’s office and in accordance with the unit prices of the products.
Employment support for permanent support
We also meet shoppers who come to the Support Market, get to know them better, and assess their families’ employment potential. We direct family members who are able to work to suitable companies in various sectors. In other words, we not only provide basic necessities but also offer employment opportunities so family members can become self-sufficient. Those who receive vocational training in these companies later gain employment in the relevant company. In our view, vocational training means meeting people’s basic needs.
We source our products from numerous national and international manufacturers and retailers. Many products nearing their expiration date, with damaged packaging but still intact, are delivered to those in need and consumed before their expiration date.
We work on a destination basis. For isntance, in the Maltepe district, we tell the well-off, “Support your neighbor a few kilometers away who is experiencing serious financial difficulties” and invite them to contribute to the Support Project. We also have significant volunteering initiatives. We invite high school and university students, and anyone who wants to contribute, to volunteer. We believe it is crucial for all people, including the public and private sectors, to work together to combat poverty. We are doing everything we can to achieve this. For more details about our TIDER and Support projects, you can read my article entitled An Ideal Model for Combating Poverty: The Support Project, which I wrote in March. http://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/yoksullukla-mucadelede-ideal-bir-model-destek-projesi. I will also provide more detailed information about the ‘fight against poverty’ in my next article.
Another ‘Destek’ Market on the European Side
We have achieved significant success in this region with the Destek (Support) Market project we first opened in Maltepe. We have already provided over 1,000,000 TL worth of basic provisions to more than 4,000 families and have employed approximately 50 people in the process. Of course, we still have a lot of work to do; we are increasing our efficiency in all areas every day, and as the support we receive increases, we are helping more people.
Today, it’s time for the second phase. After Maltepe, we plan to open another Support Market on the European side, on the Bağcılar-Esenler line. Bağcılar, with a population twice that of Maltepe, also has a very high proportion of people in need. Furthermore, Bağcılar and Esenler are the districts with the highest number of Syrian refugees.
Of course, opening a Destek Market isn’t easy. As you know, we’re opening a supermarket that meets international standards, so we need significant capital. We’re doing everything we can to achieve this. We’ve applied to the Istanbul Development Agency. We’re talking to our investors. We’ve also joined Adım Adım (Step by Step), which has become a significant platform for NGOs this year, to increase and expand individual support.
#AdımGibiBiliyorum (I Know My Name) Campaign…
We launched our campaign for this last month. Congratulations! We’re gathering for TIDER at the Vodafone Istanbul Marathon on 13 November, and we’re stepping up our efforts against unemployment, inequality, and the unfair distribution of basic needs. With this understanding, we partnered with the Adım Adım (Step By Step) and “Pursue Goodness” platforms, adopted the hashtag “I Know It Like My Name,” and created a campaign. One day, we organized a ‘rookie training session’ with TIDER volunteers, and we went on camera and shot our campaign video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdsdo2djI8I
We also created a short film inviting volunteers to run alongside us. This week, we shared these videos on social media. They quickly went viral. We all had one goal: to keep TIDER alive and reach and support more families in need, creating and providing employment opportunities. With this in mind, we invited our friends, prominent figures, artists, painters, musicians, actors, poets—in short, anyone we thought would want to pursue goodness—to join us through our Instagram videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ0r7LiM8I4
I also invited Mert Fırat to the Istanbul Marathon. Thankfully, he accepted.
Those who want to run for TIDER must first register at http://www.istanbulmarathon.org/ . Then, they can visit http://ipk.adimadim.org/ and create their own profile. After completing these steps, they will be able to participate and train in the ‘Rookies Run’ every Wednesday. Two weeks before the run, they can create their own campaign to combat unemployment and inequality by selecting TIDER from the ‘create a campaign’ tab and raising funds for their own run on TIDER’s behalf.
Let me also share the Adım Adım platform’s hashtag: #adimadim #goodnesspursuitkos
When we started this campaign, we set our goal to have at least 100 volunteer runners participate and a donation of 150,000 TL. Since 80 runners have already confirmed their participation, it’s quite possible to meet our runner target, and we even want to exceed it.
Finally, I’d like to thank all the ‘Adım Adım’ administrators and volunteers who opened the doors to this platform, my colleagues at our Association who dedicated significant hours to this endeavor with an amateur spirit, and our friends who managed our campaign. Thank you all for your efforts.
As we mentioned in our campaign, support has begun to grow like a snowball. I would also like to wholeheartedly thank all the individual runners who supported us, the corporate teams, the artists who helped spread the word online, and all other supporters.
“I know for sure we can change, we can grow!”
We look forward to your support so we can open our new Support Market in Bağcılar-Esenler and provide multifaceted, concrete assistance to those in need in a critical region!
Tag: lifestyle
