By Tuncay Şahin
Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan highlighted Türkiye’s Volunteer Ambassadors (Gonul Elcileri Projesi) initiative at a luncheon hosted by the US First Lady, Jill Biden.
Speaking at the event, held during the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, Erdogan emphasised the shared responsibility of ensuring that every child has a safe and loving home. She underscored Türkiye’s commitment to global child welfare.
In her remarks, first lady advocated for expanding the programme's reach beyond Türkiye, stating: "I find this step towards spreading our Volunteer Ambassadors Programme, which aims to ensure the safety and well-being of children under protection, incredibly valuable."
The Volunteer Ambassadors initiative, launched in 2012 by the First Lady, focuses on providing family care to children deprived of such support. The programme promotes foster care, highlighting it as a key mechanism in providing children with the love, security, and emotional stability necessary for their development.
Erdogan stressed that every child deserves the right to grow up in a nurturing environment, and the programme engages volunteers and foster families to collaborate with the state to fulfill this mission.
By engaging volunteers and encouraging foster families to collaborate with the state, the initiative aims to share the responsibility of raising these children, ensuring they receive the emotional and psychological support they need.
A Social Policy for the deprived
With over two million volunteers, the Volunteer Ambassadors project has transformed the lives of countless children in Türkiye, especially those in protective care.
The initiative has become a cornerstone of the country’s social policy, promoting the idea that foster care is not just an option but a solution for children who have lost or been separated from their families.
Erdogan advocated for extending the programme globally, underscoring the particular urgency in regions affected by crises. She pointed to the conflict in Gaza as a prime example, where children face war, hunger, and deep instability.
“Our collective duty,” Erdogan remarked, “is to offer hope to the world’s exhausted children who are struggling with conflict and deprivation. The family is the critical starting point in changing this dark trajectory.”
In concluding her address at the luncheon, Emine Erdogan issued a direct appeal to the international community. She urged nations to collaborate on the initiative: “I join the global call for the Volunteer Ambassadors Programme and invite all compassionate nations to collaborate and strengthen foster care to protect our children, who are the future of humanity.”
Already lauded for its innovative approach to foster care, the programme, launched by Erdoğan in 2012, has transformed Türkiye’s social welfare landscape.
Through the Heart Ambassadors, Türkiye aims to inspire other nations to adopt similar child welfare strategies, ensuring that all children, regardless of their circumstances, have the opportunity to thrive in a loving, supportive environment.
By championing the Heart Ambassadors initiative as a model, Erdogan positioned Türkiye as a leader in addressing one of the most pressing humanitarian challenges of our time: safeguarding the rights and futures of the world’s most vulnerable children.
