During the initial stages of TOÇEV’s establishment, as many of you may know, I faced understandable reactions from my family regarding the immense responsibility of such an initiative at such a young age. Now, as a parent with two children of my own at the age I was back then, I see how justified my family was.
President's Message
Their concerns, especially my father’s, revolved around whether this initiative was just a passing enthusiasm, whether it would continue, and what would happen to people’s hopes if it didn’t. He expressed his emotions as follows: “My daughter, you’re starting something that you should do in your 40s at such a young age, but you’re so young that you have a long life ahead of you. In this journey, you may experience many things; you may fall ill, get married, have children, experience losses, sorrows… You will experience many things… This responsibility on your shoulders is not like starting a business. You can’t close it, take a break, or hand it over whenever you want. This is a huge responsibility because you will be taking on the hopes of those children and families, and you will continue this journey no matter what happens in your life. Are you ready for this?” My father’s words still echo in my ears.
Back then, fueled by my youth, idealism, and excitement, I couldn’t fully grasp what he meant and his concerns. I was so convinced that I even persuaded my friends. They were also ready to embark on this journey with me.
Nowadays, I understand my late father so well, and he was right about one thing. In these 30 years of my life, I have experienced so much; my sorrows, losses, happiness, motherhood, illnesses… But all of these didn’t deter me; they even strengthened me. Because the burden on my shoulders wasn’t a burden of hope; it was a burden of hope, tranquility, excitement, motivation, the energy of life. I can say that the blood flowing in the veins that gives me life is the hope. Setting out on this journey exactly 30 years ago was the best decision I made in my life.
One of my life philosophies, “Sharing no matter what”, is the greatest investment one can make in themselves. By sharing, you multiply, you strengthen, you realize the meaning of life, and you open up new windows of opportunities in your life…
From a family of five, we have become a large family of over 8 million people in 30 years. We shared, and we multiplied.
The ability to share genuinely, sincerely, and authentically is the cornerstone of TOÇEV. With the excitement of the first day, proclaiming “READING IS EVERY CHILD’S RIGHT”, we continue to bring hope to many hearts.
Ebru Uygun