01.07.2026 15:20
Emine Erdoğan, attending the closing program of the "Ambassadors of Compassion Foster Family Vision Workshop," stated that 9,277 foster families in our country have provided a warm home for 11,022 children. Erdoğan said, "Currently, we have 15,803 children under care and protection in our institutions. Let us not leave them alone in this most vulnerable period of their lives. Let us open the doors of our homes and hearts to these children who yearn for our attention, compassion, and love."
Emine Erdoğan, wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, attended the "Gönül Elçileri Foster Family Vision Workshop Closing Program" held at the Presidential Communications Directorate.
Speaking at the program, Emine Erdoğan stated that they came together on the occasion of Foster Family Day and emphasized on every occasion how special a place this meaningful day holds in her heart.
"THERE IS A PATH FROM HEART TO HEART, AN INVISIBLE SECRET" Emine Erdoğan, noting that they launched the Gönül Elçileri Project in 2012, embarking on a spiritual journey described as "There is a path from heart to heart, an invisible secret," expressed that over the past 14 years, walking this blessed path with foster families, they have witnessed a human landscape beyond all praise.
Describing how she has seen mothers and fathers who, despite having their own children and grandchildren, eagerly strive to become foster parents, Emine Erdoğan stated that she has witnessed many women and men turning into courageous mothers and fathers, mobilizing their energy, time, and resources to mend a child's broken heart.
Expressing genuine admiration for their noble spirits, Emine Erdoğan thanked the Ministry of Family and Social Services for their tremendous dedication in developing, expanding, and reaching more children through foster family services.
"I BELIEVE THAT THE NUMBER OF OUR FOSTER FAMILIES WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE EXPONENTIALLY" Emine Erdoğan also expressed her gratitude to the wives of governors from 81 provinces, who are gönül elçileri, for their years of great effort in this project, saying, "I hope that you have been instrumental in making many homes among the best homes, as our Prophet described. Our provinces of Hatay, Istanbul, Izmir, Samsun, Şanlıurfa, and Kahramanmaraş have been deemed worthy of awards this year for exemplary success in foster family efforts. I wholeheartedly congratulate our Provincial Directorates of Family and Social Services and the governors' wives who received awards. Of course, in our view, every province and every gönül elçisi is a champion in this blessed competition. Because whenever another child is placed with a foster family, goodness wins, our society wins, and humanity wins. I believe that this sweetest competition of life will grow even more in the coming year, and the number of foster families across our country will continue to increase exponentially."
Emine Erdoğan stated that a society's virtues are the legacy of its past, and said, "As Rumi said, 'The good have passed away, leaving behind their good customs,' many good people have passed through these lands. They left behind countless lessons of humanity that can remedy the dilemmas and troubles of our age. By establishing over 26,000 foundations, they showed that brotherhood and the culture of patronage can be the soul, character, and purpose of a society. Under roofs like Darüşşafaka, Darüleytam, and Himaye-i Eftal, they brought to life the best examples of supporting one another. How fortunate we are that we are a nation that has made the hadith 'The best of people are those most beneficial to humanity' our life principle. Our Foster Family System is a reflection of this belief and our effort to leave a beautiful echo under this dome."
"COME, LET US NOT LEAVE THEM ALONE IN THE MOST VULNERABLE PERIODS OF THEIR LIVES" Pointing out that our report card in this regard is filled with successful marks, Emine Erdoğan continued her speech as follows:
"As of today, across our country, 9,277 foster families are cherishing 11,022 children. I am also happy to state that 1,345 of these children have special needs. 149 of our children are in the severely disabled group. 911 of our children are foreign nationals who migrated to our country due to war; they are the trusts of the human family to us. I am sure that while these figures tug at our heartstrings, they also fill us with pride. Because these are not ordinary numbers. On the contrary, they are stories of happy beginnings and second chances in life. Currently, there are 15,803 children under care and protection in our institutions. Each of them is a child of the great 86-million-strong Turkish family. Come, let us not leave them alone in this most vulnerable period of their lives. Let us open the doors of our homes and hearts to these children who long for our attention, compassion, and love."
Emphasizing that the state raises every child under its protection in the best possible way, Emine Erdoğan stated that the state mobilizes all its resources to improve children's academic success, develop their talents, and help them acquire professions.
Emine Erdoğan continued as follows:
"It ensures that every child learns at least one foreign language, plays a musical instrument, and actively participates in a sports branch. It introduces them to many fields from writing to robotic coding, from theater to intelligence games. For instance, in Ankara, 18 musically talented children under care and protection perform art in the Children's Orchestra and Choir under the Presidential auspices. Dozens of our children have applied to Teknofest with their projects and qualified to enter the top 25. We have artists, academics, and bureaucrats raised in institutions. Among them is our daughter Merve Başoğlu, a flute artist whom you all know, who has achieved great success in the world of music. Academician Yunus Topal, whose biggest childhood dream was to go to the North Pole, has become the first Turk to have visited both the North and South Poles. All these children conceived these great dreams in our institutions where our state took care of them. Our state has been the greatest supporter of their dreams. In some of our conversations, I have often witnessed them saying, 'I am the daughter of the state, I am the son of the state.' These sincere expressions are the most truthful manifestation of the trust, sense of belonging, and love provided by our state."
"OUR WORLD IS BECOMING A PLACE WHERE IT IS INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO PROTECT CHILDREN" Emine Erdoğan noted that a humanity left orphaned of children can neither step into the future nor repair the broken scales of justice, and pointed out that there are more than 150 million orphaned children in the world today.
Stating that the period since World War II has seen the highest level of conflicts, Emine Erdoğan said, "Unfortunately, our world is becoming a place where it is increasingly difficult to protect children. In 2025 alone, a total of 65 conflicts were recorded globally."The greatest orphan crisis of modern history occurred in Gaza with the genocide launched by Israel on October 7. Approximately 37 thousand children were orphaned. It is a fact that humanity owes all its children a warm home, a world of justice and peace. At this point, the exemplary nature of our foster families is a universal reference point. By reaching out to a child, they are changing not only their destiny but also our shared future. They touch the hardening conscience of the world. They show that humanity's core values are not an old tale. They produce a powerful antidote against the order that rapidly individualizes society, weakens emotional bonds, isolates people, and threatens the institution of family. In other words, they shed light on humanity. That is why it is our shared pride that our Gönül Elçileri Project has not remained within our borders and has been shown as an exemplary project by UNICEF," she said.
Addressing foster mothers and fathers, Emine Erdoğan used the following expressions:
"You took the tender branches broken by the harsh winds of life and grafted them into your hearts. We saw that as those branches were filled with love and their sense of trust strengthened, they clung tightly to the graft sites. They grew stronger, became lush, put forth leaves, and blossomed. I offer my gratitude to each and every one of you. You are among the good who will leave behind good traditions; you are the pride of humanity. Praise be to our Lord who brought you together with our children. May our Lord make the peace, joy, and affection in your homes everlasting."
After her speech, Emine Erdoğan presented awards to some governors' wives and Provincial Directors of Family and Social Services for their support to the project. At the event where the foster family public service announcement was shown, Meryem Çağdaş, who grew up with a foster family, and foster parent Çetin Şener made speeches.
At the event where foster families and their children performed the theatrical play "Maiden's Tower Legend," Hasan Basri Alagöz, General Director of Child Services at the Ministry of Family and Social Services, presented the workshop declaration.
The event was hosted by singer Alişan and television presenter Cansu Canan Özgen, with the participation of Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, foster families, children under protection, members of parliament, governors' wives, academics, international non-governmental organizations, and representatives of media organizations.