Emine Erdoğan met with Heart Ambassadors and foster families:

Emine Erdoğan, the wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, emphasized that strong tomorrows of the family are the guarantee of a peaceful and harmonious world, stating that ‘A more livable and prosperous future can be built by generations strengthened by love and compassion.’ Emine Erdoğan, on the occasion of the Protective Family Day held at the Presidential Complex National Library Conference Hall, met with governor spouses and foster families, who are the ‘Heart Ambassadors’ of the 81 provinces. Speaking at the program presented by the artist Alişan, Emine Erdoğan stated that the protective family service laid the foundation of the Heart Ambassadors Project, aimed at improving the conditions of children under state protection that they initiated 12 years ago, and said, ‘It is gratifying to see that this foundation is strengthened day by day with new applications implemented domestically and internationally.’ Pointing out that the care conditions of children under protection were insufficient in the 2000s, Emine Erdoğan said, ‘With the Ministry of Family and Social Services and by evaluating good examples worldwide, we rescued our children from dormitory-type shelters and placed them in love-centered homes. With the idea that the most peaceful and secure environment for a child is a family environment, we strengthened the foster family system. As a result of the efforts and our Heart Ambassadors Project, the number of children with foster families has increased from 515 in 2002 to 10,256.’ Emine Erdoğan emphasized that 1124 of these children have special needs, and added, ‘Fortunately, our foster family capacity shows an increase of about 12% every year.’ Emine Erdoğan pointed out that the spouses of governors constitute the driving force of this benevolent movement as the ‘Heart Ambassadors,’ and continued, ‘We will continue to work together to strengthen the opportunities to bring our children under protection together with foster families in your provinces. We will share the burdens of our families who open the doors of their hearts to our children. We will share in the joy, troubles, excitement, and sorrows of our children under protection. In this context, I sincerely congratulate Kayseri, Kahramanmaraş, and Osmaniye, which have the highest number of foster families, and all the governor spouses who have served in these provinces and will receive awards today.’ Emine Erdoğan emphasized the importance of the supportive practices of the Ministry of Family and Social Services on foster parenting, expressing her belief that applications such as the Guide Foster Family Practice, Foster Family Academy will encourage new volunteers considering foster parenting and expand the practice. Emine Erdoğan emphasized that foster families offer a reliable hand to the future of children, saying, ‘In the souls of the children you touch, the power of love and belonging takes root, not the sadness of loneliness. Your compassion and kindness weave a strong armor around their little hearts.’ Emine Erdoğan emphasized the importance of the institution of family, saying, ‘The family is the guarantee of strong tomorrows, a peaceful and harmonious world. A more livable and prosperous future can be built by generations strengthened by love and compassion within a family-centered environment. Therefore, while global corruptive movements target the institution of family and our children with all their means and tools, we must all defend this most valuable fortress of humanity in a stronger way. We know that if we do not extinguish the global corruptive fire surrounding the values of humanity, the institution of family, and our children today, it will one day engulf us all. We must unite our forces with every country that aims to protect the fundamental values of humanity, the institution of family, and our children against all kinds of dark forces, and which are in favor of goodness and beauty.’ Emine Erdoğan emphasized the importance of the Gönül Elçileri Project initiated in Turkey to globalize, wishing that the protocol signed between the United Arab Emirates and Turkey will be auspicious. Emine Erdoğan said, ‘Just as I hope that our Zero Waste Project will be a source of hope for the whole world, I also hope that the Gönül Elçileri Project will be transformed into models of practice in different countries, and that the example of Turkey will inspire other countries.’ Emine Erdoğan drew attention to the humanitarian drama in Gaza under Israel’s attacks, saying, ‘Today, unfortunately, children in different parts of the world are trying to survive under terrible conditions, let alone being in a compassionate family environment. It is estimated that at least 17,000 children in Gaza have been left without caregivers and have lost their families. These children have no safe place to go. It is suspected that about 4,000 children are either under the rubble or missing. The bottom of Gaza is a children’s cemetery, and the top has turned into the world’s largest orphanage.’ Emine Erdoğan emphasized that the Palestinian children who have been subjected to unimaginable oppression by Israel for months have inflicted wounds that will not heal in the souls of all children in the world. Emine Erdoğan also remembered with mercy Oya Kayacık, who embraced the children entrusted to institutions with love as if they were her own, and thanked the foster families who ignite their hearts and enlighten their path, the governor spouses who are Heart Ambassadors, the Ministry of Family and Social Services that leads such meaningful initiatives, and everyone involved in the organization. She expressed her desire to see all the world’s children flourish in peace and harmony, in a safe family environment filled with love. Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, foster mother Aylin Bilekli, and Melih Kubanç, who was raised in a foster family, also gave speeches at the program where Emine Erdoğan presented plaques to the governor spouses of Kayseri, Kahramanmaraş, and Osmaniye, who stand out with their foster parenting efforts. Emine Erdoğan, Minister Göktaş, UAE Minister of Social Development Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrouei, and the Heart Ambassadors who received plaques took photos together. During the program, the introduction of the Foster Family Documentary Film and the Oya Kayacık Documentary were also shown. The audience experienced emotional moments during the screening of the documentaries. The program, where the TRT Mersin Children’s Choir, consisting of children aged 8-12 under the protection of the state, gave a mini concert, ended after a family photo shoot.