Apart from delivering humanitarian aid to the needy across seven continents, the Turkish Diyanet Foundation (TDV) also exerts efforts in the area of educating foreigners in Turkey and providing thousands with schools around the entire world.
There are currently 2,140 students from 110 different countries that have been brought to Turkey by the Turkish Diyanet Foundation to receive an education. The foundation emphasizes the fact that it prioritizes providing education to children from around the world. It stresses that the educational programs of the foundation "builds bridges between the hearts of nations."
Having only had access to around 30 countries before 2010, the foundation has stepped up its educational efforts since then. The foundation is now able to bring students from more than 100 countries.
Speaking to Daily Sabah with regards to the educational efforts of the TDV, Vice Chairman Hüseyin Kayapınar said that the foundation is aware of the need to bring up hardworking and educated youth to move the civilization forward.
"Our biggest hope is our children and youth. They are the frontrunners towards a stable, happy and peaceful future," Kayapınar said.
The educational efforts of the foundation for foreign students are not limited to Turkey's borders. The Diyanet Foundation runs 18 schools around the world, currently educating 3,635 students. More than 5,000 students have graduated so far from Diyanet schools.
The Diyanet Foundation has schools in Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Romania, Bulgaria, Somalia, Somaliland, Haiti, Pakistan, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Georgia, Mongolia and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
In addition to education programs abroad, the foundation seeks ways to enhance the level of education for students at home. It educates 1,392 students at Istanbul 29 Mayıs University and 1,193 students at Bornova High School.
The foundation has so far spent more than TL 56 million ($16 million) in scholarships for students in need.
Kayapınar said the foundation knows that the money spent on the education of the youth is an investment for the future. "We place great importance on our work in the area of education. We are working to educate generations whose hearts are filled with love for humanity, their country and their religion," he added.