Light a Candle University Scholarship Project

Our university scholarships started a short while after the founding of the CYDD with a group of medical school students and turned into a major project called "Light a Candle".  In 1995 the project started with 500 university students and until today 38.435 students have completed their university education with the CYDD scholarships.

Examples of individual and corporate scholarships presented as part of the project:

• Jurist and poet Halil Uysal: Halil Uysal started giving scholarships to contemporary-minded 15 female university students as of 2022.
• Rasim Öztekin Fund for Theater Students: A scholarship fund was set up with the box office money raised from the traditional ‘handing over of the tuque ceremony’ of the skilled actor Rasim Öztekin.  The CYDD donor passed on March 8, 2021, and the funeral collection was added to the Fund. The Fund also provides its scholarship students with experience in performing arts. Today, the artist’s friends and fans have been able to increase the number of students that receive support from the Fund.
• Lawyer Eylem Kılıç Erkan Scholarship: In memory of Adv. Eylem Kılıç Erkan who passed in March 2022, 10 university students receive scholarships.
• Dr. Fazıl (Fadıl) Aykın & Şükrüye Aykın Scholarship: Dr. Fazil (Fadil) Aykın graduated from the Haydarpasa High School in 1938 and from the Faculty of Medicine of the Istanbul University in 1945.  He completed his specialty training in chest diseases in 1961.  Dr. Aykın took part in the fight against malaria and tuberculosis in various parts of Anatolia for 35 years.  The couple’s son Turgut Aykın gives scholarships in their name to 20 students.
• Prof. Dr. Merih Eroğlu Scholarship: Prof. Dr. Merih Eroğlu was the founder of the Orthopedics and Traumatology Clinic at the Ege University Faculty of Medicine.  She started the Hand Surgery department and erased all prejudice against female orthopedic surgeons.  In her memory, her family gives scholarships to medical students. 
• Bahar Özçift Science and Art Scholarships: Bahar Özçift was an 8th-grade honor student at the private Bahçeşehir High School in Gaziantep in 2018 when she lost her life in a traffic accident.  In her memory 10 students receive scholarships.
• Hayriye Karataş Mardin Girls Project:  3-D BİLİŞİM TEKNOLOJİLERİ DANIŞMANLIK and TEKNİK SERVİS INC. owned by Zafer Karataş gives scholarships to 15 girls and İLETİŞİM TEKNOLOJİLERİ INC. gives scholarships to 10 girls.  In total 25 female students receive scholarships with this project.
• Şenay Aybüke Yalçın Scholarship: Music teacher Şenay Aybüke Yalçın was killed by terrorists on June 9, 2017 in Kozluk, Batman.  She was 22 years old.  She had just handed out her students’ report cards and was heading home.  Pelikan Müzik – Zeplin Edisyon gives scholarships in her name to 10 students studying music at the university level.
• Hergüner Bilgen Özeke Law Office Scholarships: Undergraduate law students benefit from this scholarship.  Since 2005, each year 25 undergraduate students have been receiving the scholarship.
• Prof. Dr. Bakır Alpay Çağlar Scholarship: Bright law students in need of financial aid have been receiving this scholarship since 2011.  Prof. Çağlar’s family presents the scholarship each year to 11 students in his name.
• Prof. Dr. Server Tanilli Scholarship: Prof. Tanilli passed in November 2011.  Scholarships are given in his name to 15 students who are studying law, political science, philosophy, and literature.
• Tüyap Fair Company Scholarships: This program was started in 2000 and 35 university students are given scholarships each year.
• Aresk Kimya Scholarships: This program was started in 2004 and 30 university students are given scholarships each year.
• Tahir-Özden Yücel Ltd. Company Scholarships: This program was started in 2010 and 80 students are given scholarships each year.  
• Cahide ve Ahmet Akbay Scholarship: Each year 10 students receive a scholarship in the name of Ahmet Akbay (1933-2015), a graduate of the Dicle Village Institute and the Gazi Terbiye Institute, a hard-working teacher in the golden age of education and his spouse Cahide Akbay.  The scholarships are given by their son Zekai and their daughter-in-law Anne.
• Korkut Küçükcan Scholarship: Civil engineer Korkut Küçükcan passed on October 16, 2019.  In his name, his family gives scholarships to 10 students.
• Firuzan Tinel and Rezan Tinel Scholarship: When their pharmacist father died young, Firuzan Tinel gave up her dream of becoming a physician and started working to be able to support the education of her sister Rezan Tinel.  Their relatives Dürrüşahvar Azami and her son Cihan Selim started a scholarship to be given to female university students studying medicine in the name of banker Firuzan Tinel and Labor Law Attorney Rezan Tinel.

University Scholarship Projects Brought to a Completion:

• Turkish Neurology Association Scholarships: Scholarships were given to 20 students studying at medical schools in Turkey since 2008.
• Semih Erbek Scholarship: Semih Erbek lost his life in 1976 at the age of 21 during a terrorist attack at ODTÜ (Middle Eastern Technical University) where he was a student. His family gave scholarships in his name for 16 years.
• HSBC Support for Youth Project: In 2005, HSBC started providing scholarships for 500 students and in two years, increased the number of students receiving scholarships to 1000.  Until 2016, each year approximately 100 students received scholarships.
• Doctors of the Future: During 2003-2010, 300 medical students received help from Glaxo Smith Kline.  The company also provided personal development training and material support.
• Food Engineers are Getting Educated: During 2006-2010, 50 food engineering students in various universities in Turkey received scholarships from Aroma Gıda (Nutrient) Company. 
• Hundreds of Girls Have a More Beautiful Future with L’oreal: During 2009-2011, 100 girls studying at two-year vocation schools in Turkey received scholarships.  The students also received personal development training and material support.
• Artists of the Future: Efes Pilsen donated its 35th-anniversary^th anniversary celebration earnings to ÇYDD.  During 2004-2010, 50 Fine Arts Faculty students received scholarships with this donation. Today, these students work in various fields of art all over Turkey.
• Fazıl Says of the Future: In 2009, Fazıl Say gave concerts in benefit of the ÇYDD. The proceeds of these concerts provided scholarships for 15 students in the instrument program of the state conservatoires of music. Emre Engin, one of the scholarship students, became first in 2014 in the competition held by the Presidential Symphony Orchestra.

Contact:

Tel       :(0212) 252 44 33/123

Fax      :( 0212) 292 29 19

e-mail: burs@cydd.org.tr