DMEDD: Together for many purposes

by Sibel DORSAN

From grim beginnings, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wives’ Association (DMEDD) has grown into a charitable organisation with a wide range of beneficiaries as well as the organiser and focal point of innumerable cultural and social events. Diplomat talked to 2005 Executive Board president Ayşe Arat about DMEDD’s past and present aims and activities.

The meaningless Armenian terror had been going on for years, deeply shaking and upsetting Turkey in general and foreign missions in particular. In the eight years from 1973 and 1981, the number of martyrs had reached twenty. Outrage was spreading throughout society. But dozens of victims and relatives of victims were in need of support, and among Foreign Ministry staff and their families – the immediate targets of the bloodshed - it was a time not for desperation but for solidarity and organisation. It was in this climate that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wives’ (or Spouses’) Association came into being.

The spark, recalls 2005 Executive Board president Ayşe Arat, came from Mina Türkmen, the wife of the then foreign minister İlter Türkmen. But what about the finance? “Originally the association had to make do as best it could. Our only revenues were membership fees. We made these go a little further with the help of donations from our missions abroad and the income we earned from our activities. In time, the sensitivity of the Turkish people to the issue engendered a spirit of solidarity, and we started to get more and more donations.”

Health and education

Income from social activities organised in Ankara and at Turkish embassies and consulates abroad enabled DMEDD to expand its budget, and develop into a formal charitable association, performing a wide range of other good works alongside the purpose for which it had been founded. Since 1984, it has been involved in building schools and nurseries and girls’ student hostels, sending educational materials to needy schools, donating needed supplies to hospitals, as far as resources permit, and building libraries. Particular attention has been paid in this context to the Eastern regions of the country.

DMEDD has extended the scope of its scholarships. “We have educated the children of the martyrs from their primary school days right through until they graduate from university,” says Arat, “We have also taken responsibility for the education of those members of the Ministry who have died in untimely circumstances while at their posts, and of the children of other friends who have run into difficulties. In addition, we have been meeting the education expenses of a large number of university students who were victims of the August 17 earthquake in 1999. In special cases, we provide educational support for children of primary and high school age in various regions of Turkey. We are extending grants to approximately 120 children.

Promoting Turkish culture

Another important goal of the association is to acquaint the spouses of all members of foreign missions appointed to Ankara with the city, the country and Turkish culture. To this end, DMEDD’s “academy” branch arranges excursions, conferences and exhibitions. It also offers free Turkish language classes to make life in Turkey easier for the diplomats’ partners. Meanwhile DMEDD’s social committee staged gastronomy dinners, tea parties, bridge tournaments, concerts and dinners, assuring Ankara’s guests that they are not alone, and providing opportunities for them to make Turkish friends and get to know Turkish people better.

Annual meeting

For a small organisation, the achievements of DMEDD are considerable. They are the fruits of a great deal of personal sacrifice. But there is always another team ready to take over the baton at the annual general meeting in September, when the nine members of the executive board are elected, together with nine associate members, to keep the association flag flying and organise fresh events. The board members then make their own division of labour together with the associate members, setting up committees for various activities.

“As the new directors and auditors, we took office at a meeting attended by our honorary chairperson Hayrünnisa Gül. I took on the presidency on behalf of the undersecretary,” recalls Arat, who is married to Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Ender Arat.

Embassies thanked

Arat has many thank-yous to say: “I want to thank all the foreign missions which have been generous with their material assistance ever since the early days. This includes those who opened stalls at the Kermes, which is our biggest source of revenue, those who have provided us with rooms or organised meals and bridge tournaments, and those who have made donations. Our greatest wish is that they will continue to lend us their company and participate more and more in our events. In addition, I would like to express my special thanks to the embassies of Italy, China, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Switzerland, Greece and France, who have been a great help in organising our activities this year.”

Current officials

Zerrin Köprülü, Sanem Bosuter, Oya Akıncı, Müjgan Ülker, Şahika Yıldırım, Nihan Öz, Ayşe Öğüt, Elif Türesin, Lale Apakan are currently the full members of the executive board. The associate members are Tülin Umar, Seniye Dönmez, Neşe Yücesoy, Ayşegül Sunay, Şirin Aydan, Mine Tuta, Sevgi Özer, Süren Aytun and Eva Sönmezay.

The full and associate members of the auditing committee are Şermin Darende, Mehtap Özge, Nurgün Erdün, Işık Targay, Suzan Bayar, Nur Zeytinoğlu.

“As the president of the executive board, let me take this opportunity to thank all my self-sacrificing colleagues and everybody else who has made a contribution. May they continue to enjoy every success in the future,” Arat concludes.  

Sakarya revisited

One of DMEDD’s favourite projects is the SHÇEK children’s day-nursery in the town of Serdivan, Sakarya. Now about to enter its sixth year of service, the nursery covers a 400 square metre area of a 2,300 square metre plot allocated through the Ministry of Public Works and provided by the local municipality. It was built by Ömer Özer, the head of the owner of AFP Engineering, Trade and Industry Ltd., with contributions from the foreign missions of the Minsitry of Foreign Affairs, foreign embassies in Ankara and a variety of associations in Turkey and abroad. A number of donations were also received from individuals in Turkey.

Designed for the care of a total of 57 children between between the ages of 0 and 6, the facility has been furnished by DMEDD throughout. DMEDD also meets the needs of the nursery for fuel every winter. A list of the names of those who contributed to the project can be found at the entrance to the building. DMEDD officials are photographed here during a visit to the nursery.

(DIPLOMAT  -  September 2005  -  Ankara)