Our association has been offering English, Turkish, and Arabic courses to adults in Istanbul since 2015 to improve the language skills of Uyghurs residing in the city. Approximately 3000 students have been trained so far.
For Uyghurs living as migrants, language is a significant challenge; if they do not know the language of the country they live in, it can pose many difficulties for them. Therefore, Uyghurs are provided education in Turkish and other languages, and many of our citizens have learned Turkish and other languages to work in various fields.
Preschool classes have been opened to teach the Uyghur language and develop skills with age-appropriate information for children aged 3-5.
Achievements: Uyghur and Turkish are very similar in Turkey, so young children often forget their mother tongue or mix it with Turkish. However, our preschool classes have provided children with a pure environment, and the children have become fluent in their language. They have been taught age-appropriate Turkish, and they have achieved good results in their school lessons.
Among the families living in Istanbul, there are some where certain family members reside either in the homeland or with other families in Istanbul. This situation often leaves children fatherless and women husbandless.
Therefore, not having a husband or being from impoverished families further complicates their lives. Hence, our association has established a tailoring training center for women, aiming to provide free vocational training to disadvantaged women so that they can support themselves financially. Impact on society: Our sewing center was established in 2019. Since then, 220 women have graduated and started to improve their lives based on the skills they have learned.
The difficulties Uyghur students face in obtaining driver’s licenses due to their lack of knowledge in language and professional terminology have emerged as a significant issue to be addressed. Therefore, our association opened classes to prepare students for exams and organized driver training courses. As a result of these courses, more than 350 people have obtained driver’s licenses.
Computer,which is considered an indispensable technology in human life, our association has established a computer training center to develop the scientific and technological foundations of Uyghurs. This center has provided training to more than 400 people since 2018. Nowadays, computer usage has become widespread among Uyghur youth and has played a special role in their advancement in computer technology.
Supplementary lessons are implemented for children aged 6-10 in their free time after school, aiming to teach the Uyghur mother tongue and culture. Lesson programs have been organized since 2016. Our in-class and online lessons continue.
In Turkish Republic state schools, students usually receive education in two groups, typically in the morning and afternoon. This provides a good opportunity for Uyghur children to use their free time after school to learn the Uyghur language and traditions. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Uyghur language lessons were provided to elementary school students in their free time after school, and the children were guided in their school lessons. Classes were held five days a week, three hours per day, allowing these students not only to learn the Uyghur language well but also to benefit from their education at school.