“Do you know how far away America is from here?” I asked a classroom full of bright-eyed first graders. A hand shot up. Too eager to wait to be called on, a boy blurted out: “One thousand meters!”
We were farther than that—out in Esenyurt, Istanbul, one of the city’s most populous and impoverished neighborhoods. I was visiting from Los Angeles to volunteer at Sebahattin Zaim Elementary School, delivering a carefully curated box of musical supplies—electric pianos, ukuleles, maracas, and more—that Bridge to Turkiye (BTF) had put together with donations from supporters in New York and New Jersey.
Esenyurt is home to many of Türkiye’s immigrants—families from Syria, Afghanistan, and beyond. In Özge Hanım’s classroom, I met students facing hardships no child should have to endure. One boy, who had recently lost his father, started coming to school in the middle of winter without a jacket and wearing ripped shoes. Özge Hanım immediately pooled money from friends and fellow teachers to buy him what he needed. But she didn’t stop there.
Working with BTF, she helped provide warm winter jackets and shoes to more than 50 students in need this year.
I was in awe of Özge Hanım and the other teachers I met that day. As a former teacher myself, I know what it takes to show up every morning with unwavering dedication—to make sure your students feel valued, to lift them up, to show them what’s possible.
These teachers do so much with so little. But thanks to your support, they don’t have to do it alone.
The day I was there, students crowded around the box of musical supplies, bouncing in anticipation. Özge Hanım and her colleagues will no doubt turn those instruments into lessons, laughter, and lasting inspiration.
You can help BTF support more teachers like Özge Hanım.
Donate today!
