TEN YEARS DEDICATED TO EDUCATION AND NATURE

TICARET NEWSPAPER

September 17, 2025

To read the news: https://ticaretgazetesi.com.tr

On the 10th anniversary of the EGET Foundation, Board Chairperson Özlem Uzman shared the 10-year journey of the Muğla-based EGET Foundation and its contributions to society.

Özlem Uzman, Chairperson of the Education, Geriatrics, Ecological Agriculture, and Tourism Foundation (EGET), held a press conference on the 10th anniversary of the EGET Foundation's establishment, sharing the 10-year journey of the Muğla-based Foundation and its contributions to society. Uzman reminded attendees that EGET was founded in Muğla on July 25, 2015, by Safai Özer and Özlem Uzman, emphasizing that, in line with Atatürk's words, "It is education that either allows a nation to live as a free, independent, and advanced society, or abandons it to slavery and misery," it has set contributing to society as its main goal.

“Lack of education is the biggest obstacle to a country's development”

Underlining that lack of education is the biggest obstacle to a country's development, Özlem Uzman explained that they have designed a scholarship system focusing on the most disadvantaged young people, those at risk of dropping out of education. Uzman emphasized that the foundation's entire focus is on providing scholarships to more young people, and that this is explicitly stated in the Foundation's Charter as a non-negotiable clause. He continued, “However, we did not limit our work solely to scholarships. Because we also wanted to find solutions to other problems in our country that we care about. Today, we are in a period where the soil continues to be polluted with chemicals, and concerns about the safety of the food on our tables are increasing. Although life expectancy is increasing, aging healthily is becoming more difficult every day. Traditional tourism on our coasts has reached a breaking point, and a new breath of fresh air is needed; ecotourism, agrotourism, etc. Instead of being just a non-governmental organization that provides scholarships, our goal was to establish a structure with strong roots that focuses on people, values ​​nature, and operates according to sustainability principles. Therefore, we aim to set good examples not only with our rhetoric but also with the practices we put into action.”

“We have established a strong institutional structure”

Özlem Uzman stated that EGET works to provide scholarships to young people at risk of dropping out of education due to financial difficulties, and to create a country where nature is protected through sustainable agricultural practices, and where contemporary tourism examples are offered for middle-aged and elderly people, emphasizing that a strong institutional structure has been established to achieve these goals.