A UNIQUE FOUNDATION RIGHT NEXT TO US: EGET

Bodrum Sokak Tv / 13.08.2025

Haberi okumak için : https://sokaktv.com.tr

HAT (Hamdi Topçuoğlu): Bize kısaca EGET’i tanıtır mısınız?

Özlem Uzman: Türkiye’nin en önemli sorunlarından birinin eğitimsizlik olduğuna inanıyoruz. Bu nedenle vakfımızın eğitim temelli olması gerektiğini düşündük.

EGET’in açılımı “Eğitim, Geriatri, Ekolojik Tarım, Turizm Vakfı”dır.

Geriatriyi ise daha çok gerontoloji alanında ele alıyoruz. Bizi diğer sivil toplum kuruluşlarından ayıran en önemli özellik, bağışlara bağımlı bir yapımızın olmayışıdır.

Amacımız sürdürülebilir bir sistem kurmak. Ne yazık ki, ülkemizde pek çok vakıf, kurucuları hayatını kaybettikten sonra ya faaliyetlerine devam edemiyor ya da kötü niyetli kişilerin eline geçiyor. Bu nedenle Mütevelli Heyeti’mizi oluştururken çok özen gösterdik, doğru kişilerle bir arada olmayı hedefledik.

Ayrıca sürdürülebilir gelir kaynaklarımız olmasını istedik. Felsefemize en uygun alanların ekolojik tarım ve sağlıklı yaşam turizmi olduğuna karar verdik ve yatırımlarımızı bu alanlara yaptık. Elde ettiğimiz geliri eğitim burslarına aktarıyoruz.

HAT: Kurucunuz Safai Bey’i tanıtır mısınız?

Özlem Uzman: Safai Bey için “ilginç bir insan(dı)” demek istemiyorum; biz ona çünkü hâlâ “Yaşayan Safai” diyoruz.

He was an architect, artist, painter, thinker, poet, and photographer. Besides that, he was as knowledgeable about agriculture as any agricultural engineer. After living in the city for years, he settled in a village in Burdur at a time when migration to villages wasn't yet fashionable. He established the first drip irrigation systems, learned about ecological farming and animal husbandry, and bred high-quality sheep breeds. Mr. Safai laid the foundations of our vision.

HAT: How did you get involved in the process?

Özlem Uzman: At that time, I was living in Istanbul, while Mr. Safai was in Kargalı village in Burdur. Without speaking, we realized we were thinking the same things. Mr. Safai guided us with his vision and knowledge, planted the seeds, and nurtured them. Then he said, "I've dealt with this world enough, now it's your turn."

HAT: What does this vision encompass?

Dr. Naki Bulut: The EGET Foundation, first and foremost, stands by disadvantaged individuals. Who are disadvantaged individuals? Young people struggling to continue their education, elderly people in need of support… Of course, the environment is also of great importance to us in this context.

Despite all these technological and scientific advancements, inequalities are still very high. We have positioned ourselves alongside these groups and decided to support them. In doing so, instead of adhering to the rules of ruthless capitalism, we aimed to develop exemplary resource generation models. In line with this understanding, we generate income by practicing ecological farming and protecting nature.

On this land where you are currently standing, we are growing organic lavender. The sale of this lavender is one of EGET's most important sources of income. We also have truffle cultivation projects. Another important goal is to realize our elderly health and wellness center project, in which we have made significant progress during its establishment process.

With the production model we apply while generating resources for the foundation, we strive to be an example to our environment and society; and we have largely succeeded. This is the first lavender farm established in the Aegean Region using professional and scientific methods. After us, many lavender gardens were established in the region; The Muğla Metropolitan Municipality's farm and the lavender garden in Yerkesik are examples of this.

We are also among the pioneers in Turkey in truffle cultivation. Our initiatives in this field have begun to spread in the region. We have other practices that should be emulated; for example, our olive oil production… Although we don't have our own olive groves, we have an olive oil that has won international awards.

HAT: How do you select your scholarship recipients?

Özlem Uzman: We have a very transparent, digital software that we have been working on developing for years.

Our foundation was established in 2015. Since 2016, we have been selecting the students we will give scholarships to through this digital system. Because we have adopted digital technology so easily, we define ourselves as the most innovative foundation in Turkey. In fact, EGET is the first foundation in Turkey to accept scholarship applications via a mobile application.

No favoritism or nepotism is shown to anyone. While financial need is important, we also have other criteria. We verify prospective scholarship recipients with more than 35 documents. First, students apply; then, we ask students who meet the coefficient we determine according to the number of scholarships we will award that year to upload their documents. The uploaded documents are examined one by one.

During this process, our education and scholarship committee gets involved. Students whose documents and statements match are invited for an online interview.

We can currently only award a limited number of scholarships. Therefore, we strive to give scholarships to the most deserving; to those who care about their country, love it, and want to help others in the future.

We are a non-partisan civil society organization; however, our most important principle is to conduct our work in the light of the values ​​of the Republic and the principles of Atatürk.

We have three types of scholarships: EGET Foundation Undergraduate Scholarships, EGET Foundation High School Scholarships, and, as specifically requested by Mr. Safai, high school scholarships that we opened only for children studying in Muğla after the fires there. We also have our “Living Safai Undergraduate Scholarships,” which we launched after his passing. This scholarship is awarded to three students studying in fields such as architecture and fine arts, which were areas of interest for Mr. Safai, for one year and at a higher amount compared to other scholarships.

HAT: How many students have you given scholarships to in 9 years?

Dr. Naki Bulut: The total number of students who applied for scholarships from the EGET Foundation during this period is 39,960. The total number of students we have given scholarships to is 245. In the 2024-2025 academic year, the number of students receiving scholarships was 58.

We do not leave the students who are entitled to receive scholarships alone throughout their education. A strong bond and a family structure have formed among EGET scholarship recipients over time. They have a structure where they constantly communicate and support each other.

Students sometimes share their experiences and feelings with us, and sometimes with the public. We also expect EGET scholarship recipients to participate in a social responsibility project for at least three days every year. Right now, we have two or three students here participating in these programs.

HAT: How is the sense of belonging formed?

Naki Bulut: Yes… That's wonderful. Let Ms. Özlem explain.

Özlem Uzman: Our scholarships are repayable. For example, when we first started giving scholarships, the amount was six hundred lira. A student might have received six hundred lira in the first year, one thousand in the second, and two thousand in the third; regardless of the total amount received, they repay this amount without any interest when they start working after graduation.

As you mentioned, we do this to create a sense of belonging. We support one student; we want them to support another student when they graduate. We even make it easier by dividing the repayments into four years. Despite this, many of our scholarship recipients pay off their debt early, saying, "I found a job" or "I got a civil service job, I want to pay it back immediately." Moreover, there are even those among our scholarship recipients who say, "I want to sponsor a student's education."

Doing business in Turkey is really very difficult; It's as if all systems discourage people from working. In such an environment, seeing the seeds we plant sprout, even bear fruit, gives us strength despite all the difficulties. Our main source of motivation is the feedback we receive from these children.

HAT: Besides repayment for the sense of belonging… For example, working here…

Dr. Naki Bulut: Our different scholarship programs have social responsibility project requirements of varying durations. For example, two of our students here are currently benefiting from the "Living Safai Scholarship" and are required to work for 10 days to complete their projects.

Foundations operate on a voluntary basis. However, since there are some shortcomings in the current volunteer legislation, we meticulously take all necessary precautions while volunteers are working in the field. We cover the students' travel and meal expenses during their time here, ensuring they complete their projects safely and healthily.

HAT: One of the things we lack is a sense of belonging. In my opinion, there must be some kind of repayment; the individual must somehow give back what they receive from here. Life success may not be enough, economic circumstances may not be favorable… These are certainly possible. Nevertheless, you must shoulder the burden of the foundation in some area, to a greater or lesser extent. What you do in this regard will be an example for other foundations as well. That's why I'm emphasizing this particularly.

Özlem Uzman: I think we can say this: Participation in social responsibility projects is mandatory for our scholarship recipients. For our undergraduate students, this period is at least three days. The scholarship of students who do not fulfill this obligation is terminated by a decision of the Board of Directors.

We believe that a person who cannot reciprocate the benefits of the scholarship they receive will not be of benefit to society. Therefore, we do not continue with students who do not complete the social responsibility project. In young people who fulfill their social responsibility duties, we see a hopeful light for the future.

HAT: In recent years, it's become very difficult to find people to work in agriculture. At the end of the three-day social responsibility period, do any students say, "We belong here, so we want to work longer than just three days"?

Özlem Uzman: Yes, quite frequently. Many of our students extend this period voluntarily. For example, we had a student studying at the veterinary faculty. One day she said to me, "I thought you had money somewhere, and you were giving it to us as a scholarship. It turns out you work so hard, you put so much effort into this."

That student came back the following year without us inviting her. She was supposed to stay for three days, but she stayed for twenty. Finally, we told her to leave and put an envelope in her bag for her journey.

After a while, she sent a message that still gives me goosebumps when I read it:

"I wore the t-shirt you gave me, I ate your food. But this is something I cannot accept. If I have contributed even a little bit, may it be well-deserved. I am returning this money."

This is one of the most beautiful examples of a sense of belonging. Very, very important…

HAT: I know your work isn't limited to just these…

Dr. Naki Bulut: Yes, we have a center. You saw it. It was a 100-year-old, dilapidated building; we acquired it and carried out the necessary restoration.

Those areas are among the most underdeveloped regions of Muğla in terms of socio-cultural development. We wanted to instill a reading habit in the region. In line with this, we launched the "Doorless Libraries, Books on the Streets" project. Every Friday afternoon, we take our books out into the streets. Children from that street take these books, read them; and the following week they bring another one. At the end of the year, we give awards to the children who read the most books. To check if they have read the books they borrowed, they write an essay or draw a picture about the book. Whatever impression the book left on their memory, they prove that they have read it.

We presented this project to the Metropolitan Municipality. We requested support from the municipality to deliver the books, especially to children living in mountain villages where access to books is difficult.

The goal isn't just to bring books to the villages. That mobile unit could also bring along agricultural engineers, doctors, dentists, artists, and writers. It could provide villagers with opportunities to meet qualified individuals; courses, concerts, and talks could be organized there.

The Metropolitan Municipality stated that they are receptive to this project.

Özlem Uzman: Another important project of ours is the Nature and Life Academy. It's an interdisciplinary education program born from the EGET Foundation's long-standing experience in ecology and sustainability. In this program, run in collaboration with TED University and the TOVAK Foundation, academics from different disciplines provide theoretical and practical training that offers a holistic perspective on ecology.

We first launched it in 2023, initially including our own scholarship students. We pooled our resources to ensure their participation. Among the participants were young people who had never seen the sea; in fact, one student, despite being offered instruction by those who knew how to swim, said, "I want to learn on my own," and truly learned and returned home.

In 2024, the program was held in collaboration with Muğla Metropolitan Municipality with the theme "Women and Ecology." In 2025, it will be organized for the third time, and while its basic structure will remain the same, it will have a flexible structure that can be shaped collaboratively according to the priorities of different institutions.

Participants in the academy attend theoretical sessions where humanities, philosophy, art, and literature are examined from an ecological perspective; they also participate in practical activities such as balcony gardening, beekeeping, and lavender distillation. These activities are carried out at the EGET Foundation's Permaculture Garden in Menteşe and the Armutçuk Organic Farming Enterprise in Ula. Thanks to field trips, participants have the opportunity to see production firsthand and directly put what they learn into practice. Thus, the academy provides an opportunity to experience ecology not only in theory but also in life.

We aim to continue this program, which broadens the horizons of everyone who participates, in the coming years and to touch the lives of even more young people.

HAT: Is there a connection to eco-villages?

Özlem Uzman: We had the idea of ​​establishing an ecological village from the very beginning. We believe that such a project is necessary to make the foundation sustainable. Ecology cannot be achieved with just two wooden huts.

Therefore, we are struggling to attract wealthy tourists here. The era of seaside holidays is over; it has ended here, just as it has in Spain and Italy. In this rich geography, we need to turn to agrotourism and ecotourism, but we need to do it consciously.

Mr. Safai planned an eco-village to make all this a reality. He designed a system that involves guests in the production process by practicing agriculture and animal husbandry using ecological methods. Is your area of ​​interest animal husbandry? Then there will be a veterinarian in charge. Agriculture? We will work with an agricultural engineer. Or do you say, "I want to go boating"? Then an experience will be offered on the sea, showcasing the natural and cultural riches of the region.

Our aim was to attract wealthy visitors with high ecological awareness, thereby creating job opportunities and raising the income level of the region. Unfortunately, we encountered major obstacles at every step.

HAT: But you continue to work. You must also have an important project related to Gerontology.

Dr. Naki Bulut: As you know, life expectancy has increased, and the elderly population worldwide is steadily growing. In their later years, the period defined as "old age," people often feel lonely and powerless. We didn't design this center as a place where people could simply come and seek refuge or protection. On the contrary, we envisioned bringing together distinguished individuals – scientists, artists, historians, physicians – who possess crystallized knowledge and expertise in their fields, creating a structure where they can continue to share their knowledge and experience with society.

These individuals are, in fact, treasures in themselves, with their knowledge and experience. Given the right conditions and a little support, they can contribute significantly to societal progress. In our Gerontology Village, we aim to provide them with these opportunities. We want a musician to be able to compose here, a painter to paint, a historian to conduct research, and a novelist to give lectures. Imagine a novelist writing their work away from the anxieties of daily life and, with our support, able to share it with readers. We will also provide them with assistant support if needed.

In addition, we will offer preventive health services; we will measure their blood pressure and monitor their temperature. We will ensure they are nourished with products produced using ecological farming methods. The aim is to support them in living a healthier, more productive, happier, and longer life in the final years of their lives.

We will also provide them with the opportunity to complete any unfinished projects they may have.

To realize this dream, we have acquired over 200 acres of land in the Elkin region of Yılanlı Mountain, at an altitude of 1,060 meters. The surrounding area is completely sterile, covered with black pine forests, a veritable paradise. No one can build anything there without permission; it's that protected and special.

HAT: The most important feature of such ecological villages is their environment. If there are thermal power plants, coal mines, or other mining operations in the vicinity, your work is absolutely meaningless.

Finally, is there anything else you would like to say?

Özlem Uzman: Yes, I would like to add something. EGET Foundation Economic Enterprise operates with a natural production approach, using products sourced from local producers and utilizing its own organic farming areas, in order to ensure the foundation's sustainability and strengthen its scholarship fund. We established the first lavender field in the coastal city of Muğla and the first organically certified distillation unit in Muğla. Instead of simply selling the lavender oil produced here as raw material, we became the first organization to transform it into Ministry of Health-approved cosmetic products, adding value. Furthermore, our olive oils, produced from Memecik olives sourced from local producers, have received five quality awards on international platforms.

One of the most important goals of our production model is to produce reliable products that people can confidently say, "This product is from Muğla, it's healthy." Our slogan, "From Nature to You, From You to Education," reflects the essence of this approach: all income generated after the products, produced using natural methods, reach the consumer is transferred as scholarships to young people. In this way, we support both the protection of nature and education.

Dr. Naki Bulut: Undoubtedly, we encounter many problems. This place belongs to the EGET Foundation, and we conduct all our work as a civil society organization that sets serious goals for the public good. However, the bureaucracy sometimes treats these efforts as if they were a private investment driven by profit. This approach truly bothers us. While these efforts should be supported by public institutions and local and central governments, we often feel alone.

This situation both slows down our progress and leads to unnecessary energy loss. While we could achieve so much more with this much effort, we feel like we're treading water. It's as if shackles are on our feet; yet, despite this, we stubbornly continue to move forward. Despite having a very limited number of employees and volunteers, we have received international awards and undertaken many international projects. However, all these achievements are not sufficiently known even by the people of Muğla.

HAT: Ms. Özlem, what is HEEFTA?

Özlem Uzman: HEEFTA (Holistic Environmental Education: From Training to Action) is an international education project developed by the EGET Foundation and awarded funding under the Interreg NEXT Mediterranean Basin Program. It is among the 60 projects selected from 631 applications from 15 countries. Furthermore, it is one of only 7 projects supported in the youth field and one of only 3 youth projects selected from Turkey.

The project; The project is being carried out in collaboration with partners from Turkey, Spain, Italy, Greece, Egypt, and Tunisia. It is based on the experience of the Nature and Life Academy, which has been running for two years in partnership with TED University. Our aim is to help university students understand the environmental crisis in its social, economic, and political dimensions; to equip them with blue and green skills; and to contribute to the development of a solution-oriented perspective.

This comprehensive and high-budget project, lasting two years, is one of the most important steps taken by the EGET Foundation on an international scale. This is a significant achievement not only for the EGET Foundation but also for Muğla and Menteşe, as the project will provide the region with a substantial budget and access to an international network.

Within the program, we aim to enhance the skills of young people through workshops, field trips, and eco-design-focused training. In this sense, we can also consider HEEFTA as an internationally developed and expanded version of the Nature and Life Academy. As our mayor said, we are trying to make a small but meaningful contribution to the "Muğla, a world city" vision with this project.

HAT: I know you have much more to say. I hope you reap the rewards of your efforts soon. EGET is like an oasis in the desert. Introducing it to good people was a duty for me. I hope EGET grows and there are more EGETs. Best of luck.