A Day of Community and Solidarity in Yahyalı

KAYSERİ - On October 5, 2026, our Tohumluk Foundation Kayseri team carried out a series of visits and activities in Yahyalı and its Kirazlı neighborhood. With the aim of supporting women’s work, bringing books to children, and strengthening solidarity in rural communities, we took the first steps toward new projects.

Our Kayseri Provincial Representative, Nilüfer Bıçakcıoğlu, and volunteers Hayriye Boz, Emine Kihtir, and Esra Kuran began the day at the Yahyalı Public Education Center. There, we met with the center’s director, Hatice Yetişen, and signed a cooperation agreement for the “For One Another” project. Connecting women’s skills with the needs of children in rural communities, the project will enable women attending the center’s sewing courses to make tracksuits for village children using fabric and materials supplied by our Foundation. The skills developed in the classroom will become a practical way to support children.

During our visit, we also launched the first stage of the Cherry Pit Pillow Project. By repurposing the pits of cherries—an important source of livelihood in Yahyalı—we aim to support a woman facing socioeconomic barriers in taking part in production. Bekir Konak provided the cherry pits for the first product, while our Foundation supplied the fabric and patterns. Through this initiative, we hope to bring together environmental, social, and economic benefits by making use of a by-product of local agriculture.

Our next stop was Kirazlı Middle School, where we donated 150 books to the school library. Our volunteer Esra Kuran also led a reading activity with students in a mixed-grade classroom. Coming together around books was an important part of the day’s educational activities.

We met with School Principal Erol Sandık, Parent–Teacher Association Chair Gülistan Teke, and teachers to introduce our Foundation’s work and discuss the needs of the school and the wider community. We explored ways the Foundation could support the conversion of the former school building into a village community center, the creation of a design reflecting Kirazlı’s local character on a school wall, and repairs to the bust of Atatürk. These discussions considered potential contributions toward bringing the ideas to life.

At the end of the day, as part of our community support work, we joined Kirazlı’s elected neighborhood head, Mehmet Teke, on a visit to a local family. We also visited a family in central Yahyalı as part of the same efforts.

We thank everyone who welcomed us, contributed to the projects, and helped make these activities possible. Our day in Yahyalı brought together small but meaningful steps in support of women’s work, children, education, the environment, and solidarity. We continue to strengthen the bridges we build between urban and rural communities by listening to local needs and working together.