Koç Group, determined to create value with its employees ensuring customer satisfaction, encouraging sustainable development and offering goods and services at world class standards, has published its Corporate Social Responsibility Report for the 2006-2007 term.
Koç Group abides by its Founder Vehbi Koç’s credo “I exist if my country exists” and seeks to work with its stakeholders to help in human development, to advance local development efforts, to lead in environmental consciousness and to render economic development sustainable. The report is a reflection of these efforts with a view to share with the community the Group’s philosophy of social responsibility.
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The Vehbi Koç Foundation
Koç Group derives its sense of social responsibility from the philosophy of its founder Vehbi Koç. Many of the enterprises he founded were based on creating economic value and creating “something” out of “nothing” in a newly founded country. Vehbi Koç's sense of social responsibility grew with the development of the nation. Vehbi Koç anticipated needs before they appeared and laid the foundations for businesses and new industries to meet them. With the same foresight, he identified the needs of the new Turkish generations as society developed, came up with ways of meeting those needs and put them into practice.
In light of the “I live and prosper with my country” philosophy, he set aside part of his revenues for social investments. However, Vehbi Koç's concept of social responsibility extended beyond “philanthropy” to giving direction to society; he institutionalized these efforts and became the pioneer of nongovernmental organizations in Turkey. In this framework, he set up his own foundation and led the way in setting up several other foundations. Foundations like TEMA Foundation, Turkish Education Foundation (TEV), The Educational Volunteers Foundation of Turkey (TEGV) and the The Turkish Family Health and Planning Foundation (TAPV) which play important social roles in areas ranging from education to health, family and the environment carry the signature of Vehbi Koç at their bearings.
Vehbi Koç Foundation (VKV), the first large private foundation of the Republic of Turkey, was founded on January 17, 1969, by Vehbi Koç. VKV started its work with an endowment when Vehbi Koç donated 8 percent of the shares of Koç Holding. In time, the regular donations made by Vehbi Koç and other members of the Koç Family increased the net worth of the Foundation substantially. VKV provides a substantial part of its services through non-profit organizations in education, culture and health and these organizations are sustained by special funds set up by the Foundation. Vehbi Koç Foundation ranks among the largest foundations in Europe and in the world based on the size of its assets.
Vehbi Koç Foundation is a reflection of social responsibility. Since its establishment, the Foundation has become a model for many philanthropists and has begun to be extremely active in the spheres of education, health and culture, areas which meet the fundamental needs of life for a modern and developing Turkey.
The Vehbi Koç Award
The Vehbi Koç Award, which is a part of Vehbi Koç's heritage and which was initiated after he passed away, annually gives substantial financial support to distinguished individuals and/or enterprises in education, culture and health. In 2007, the award in the field of health was bestowed on Prof. Aziz Sancar for his wide-reaching work on “Revealing the Molecular Mechanisms of DNA Repair” and “Regulation of the Circadian Clock.”
Vehbi Koç Foundation Scholarships
The Vehbi Koç Foundation set aside about USD3.5 million in scholarships for the 2006-2007 academic year; this figure rose to USD5.3 million the following year. Within the framework of the scholarship program, one of the most important activities of the Foundation since it was founded, over 5,000 vocational high school and university students were granted scholarships during the 2006-2007 academic year.
This figure reached 6,929 in the 2007-2008 academic year.
Two of the educational establishments which are affiliated with the Foundation and each of which aims to be centers of excellence are Koç University and Koç Private Primary School and High School. In addition to these education centers, Vehbi Koç Foundation supports modern education at 13 primary schools built in various regions of Turkey from Bursa to Şırnak, Bolu to Van. Adopting the “Build Transfer Support” model in this effort, VKV brings together and provides training to the administrators of these 13 schools each year within the framework of the project entitled “Hand in Hand for Development”. Koç Group companies in these regions meet the schools' needs.
The Vehbi Koç Foundation: Culture and the Arts
A major part of Koç Group's social responsibility activities in culture and arts are carried out by the Vehbi Koç Foundation. Sadberk Hanım Museum, Vehbi Koç and Ankara Studies Center (VEKAM), and Suna - İnan Kıraç Mediterranean Civilizations Research Institute (AKMED) are affiliated with the Vehbi Koç Foundation.
Sadberk Hanım Museum, Turkey's first private museum, is a pioneering institution in both its collections and its sense of modern museum curatorship. Included among the exhibitions held there in 2007, are the “150th Anniversary of the Crimean War Exhibition,” “Çatma and Kemha, Ottoman Silk Textiles,”
Koç Holding hosted a conference called “Creating Value through The Global Compact” on October 25, 2007. At the conference, the framework of the Global Compact Agreement for social responsibility was evaluated.
“Giving back the Color's Josephine Powell Collection,” and “Chalices in Antiquity.”
In 2007, the “Gedikoğlu Vineyard” donated to the Vehbi Koç Foundation by its Chairman Semahat Arsel opened its doors to visitors as the “Ankara Vineyard Residence” in association with VEKAM. Some of the events held there in 2007 were the exhibitions “Amongst Old Friends: Ankara in Ads (1935-1967)”, “Unforgettable Scenes from Ankara Palace Nights, and Render Van in Ulus: One Day in the Life of Statue of Liberty and Ulus Office Building”, and “İnsanlık Hu(wo)manity”; the conference “Specialization Libraries,” the “Museum Curatorship from the Past to the Present in Turkey”; and the panel “An End to Family Violence towards Women.”
Support for a Healthy Society
In 2007, we continued our social responsibility efforts at full speed with projects developed by both the Group companies and Vehbi Koç Foundation itself.
The First Eye Bank, founded in Ankara in 1963 with Vehbi Koç's support and initiative, was renovated in 2007 and transformed into a modern eye hospital at international standards. Around 40 thousand patients are treated annually at the Ankara University Vehbi Koç Eye Hospital, which is Turkey's first and only reference eye hospital and has 38 rooms and 52 beds. Approximately 4.000 patients are operated on and 4.000 patients receive in-patient treatment annually in the four modern operating theatres equipped according to international norms. 13 instructors, 19 research assistants and three specialists work at the hospital. As the first and largest eye hospital of Turkey, it is also a source of hope for thousands of patients awaiting cornea transplants.
The Rahmi Koç Museum
There are two museums run in association with the Rahmi M. Koç Museum Curatorship and Culture Foundation. The Rahmi M. Koç Museum is located on the Golden Horn in magnificent buildings that house some of the foremost examples of industrial archeology. It is the first major museum in Turkey to be devoted to the history of transportation, industry and communication. Meanwhile, the Çengelhan Rahmi M. Koç Museum, located in the heart of Ankara across from the Ankara Citadel, has begun operating in an impressive historical building.
The Museumbus Project, which begun in 2003 as a social responsibility project to enable students who, for a variety of constraints such as time and distance, are unable to visit the museum, continues to visit schools. Sponsored by Migros, the objective of the project is to spread an appreciation of museums. In four years, Museumbus Project reached 80,000 students.
With the vision of being a living museum, it has a new Discovery Table where selected objects can be touched by everyone and even tried on. These objects include, for example, a WWII flight helmet, a unique mineral, and an old horn.
In addition, an exhibition of photographs taken at the April 23rd Turkish Radio & Television National Children's Day Festival sponsored by Koç Holding toured at the Rahmi M. Koç Museum Aydın Çubukçu Gallery.
The “Boats and People Photograph Exhibition”, which consists of photographs of an important means of transportation in Istanbul, was held at the Rahmi Koç Museum.
Among the receptions held during 2007 at the Rahmi M. Koç Museum are the Istanbul Chambers of Minerals and Metal Exporters Design awards ceremony, the debut ceremony of the Drum Events, the YK Sait Faik Awards ceremony, and the ceremony launching British Council Engage, with the participation of Prince Charles, Prince of Wales.
Global Compact
The Global Compact, which was formally announced to the public in 2000, is a voluntary corporate citizenship network that brings together the public sector and private sector, as well as UN bodies and civil society, in order to address the challenges of globalization. Signed by 3700 firms from 120 countries, the Global Compact is based on ten basic principles in areas such as preventing labor discrimination, human rights for a sustainable environment, labor, environment and anti-corruption. The fact that these principles coincide with the goals and principles of the Group made it a natural step to sign the UN Global Compact.
Koç Group's main principles rest on corporate citizenship, yielding the Group towards projects that contribute to the development of society and that create value. Its founder Vehbi Koç's dictum “I live and prosper with my country” forms the basis of Koç Group's perspective on social responsibility. Koç Group, as an official sign of its commitment to corporate social responsibility, joined the Global Compact on March 30, 2006.
Koç Group engaged in various activities to advocate corporate social responsibility and the Global Compact in 2007.
Global Compact Leaders Summit
Ali Y. Koç, President of the Corporate Communications and Information Technology Group :
"Optimism - Not Only Possible, But Also Necessary in the Age of Global War”, is the theme of this year’s Istanbul Biennale.
In my opinion, replacing “Global War” with “Globalization” in this headline would make this theme extremely appropriate for our Conference as well. To continue
Koç Holding Hosts Conference on The United Nations Global Compact on “Creating Value With The Global Compact”
The conference was organized at the Nakkaştepe facilities of Koç Holding on Thursday October 25, 2007. The participants explored and discussed the Global Compact Principles while evaluating the added value of integrating the Principles into operations and the emerging corporate social responsibility approach within a new business model. To continue
International Projects: Support for Mevlana Events in the US
Koç Holding supported various Mevlana events in Washington DC in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institute throughout 2007. Koç Holding believes that the messages of love and tolerance of Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi, one of the greatest historical contributors to Turkish philosophy and culture, have become even more valuable over time, and that humanity has greater need for them now than ever before. Therefore, the Holding wishes to share this philosophy, internalized by many over the centuries and especially by the Turkish people, through these functions.
UNESCO declared 2007 the year of Mevlana in commemoration of the 800th anniversary of his birth. As part of a program of events, gatherings were held on March 14th at the Library of Congress and on March 15th at the Smithsonian's Freer Gallery. At these events, Talat Halman read in English poems from the Mesnevi, Mevlana's masterpiece of Sufi literature, and this was followed by a sema, or 'Whirling Dervish' ceremony, to music performed by Ahmet Özhan and his group.
Koç Holding, Turkey's Largest Private Employer, Joined United Nations Global Compact
To continue
Social Responsibility at Koç
Education, health, culture and the arts, and the environment are fundamental needs of life in a modern and developing Turkey. Accordingly, the Koç Group is working hard to create the greatest possible public awareness of these issues.
Support for Education
Since it is obvious that society cannot progress without allocating enough resources for education, Koç Group contributed to social development by implementing numerous education projects in 2006 and 2007, as it did in previous years. This contribution to education continues through joint or individual efforts by Koç Holding, the foundations it supports, and its various sponsorships.
In 2007, Koç Holding opened 160 computer classes for 21 students each in 160 schools in various parts of Sakarya, one of the hardest hit provinces in the 1999 earthquake. Koç Holding provided a total of 3,381 computers to approximately 66,000 students in Sakarya within the framework of a Ministry of Education campaign in support of Computer-Aided Education.
In 2006, Koç Holding launched the “Vocational High Schools - Vocational Education: a crucial matter for the Nation” project in cooperation with the Ministry of Education in order to encourage vocational technical training. In the meanwile, the Holding aims to create awareness in all sections of society about the importance of vocational training for the country's economy. Koç Holding acts as a leader in showcasing public-private partnership at the intersection of vocational education and employment creation by encouraging our youth to take up vocational training and contribute to developing a high quality work force. The 7-year project provides scholarships supported by internships, employment priority and coaching to 8000 students in 250 schools and 81 provinces, thus offering support for both training and employment. The project aims to:
- Give students scholarships and support them,
- Enhance their knowledge, skills and competence by providing internships, and
- Provide students with employment priority and coaching to support their career development.
With the launch of the project (in the 2006-2007 academic year), more students started to prefer vocational schools. There was a 30 percent increase in applications for vocational schools in 2008.
The “Vocational schools - Vocational Education: a crucial matter for the Nation” project set an example for industry-education cooperation with the support of 21 Group companies.
Tüpraş, Migros, Tofaş, Otokoç and Ford Otosan supported the project with the laboratories and special educational branches they set up in schools. Moreover, with their pre-employment training programs, Tofaş and Ford Otosan employed secondary school, high school and industrial vocational school graduates, thus encouraging them to have a profession.
Koç Group employees participate in the project by becoming volunteer coaches for the scholarship students. The “Vocational School Coaches” received Volunteering-Motivation and Communication courses before starting their work on the project. They learned how to inform and train students within the scope of the project and were encouraged to more actively contribute to the project. Following this training, they took an active role in the selection of the scholarship students. Afterwards, the Career Coaches began holding monthly meetings with them. 21 Group companies, including Arçelik, Aygaz, Otokar, Divan and Yapı Kredi, are represented among the Vocational High School Career Coaches.
In 2007, The “Vocational High Schools - Vocational Education: a crucial matter for the Nation” (MLMM) has a portal that serves as the project's communication and implementation platform of the project. It serves as a bridge between the company officials, vocational school coaches, school principals, scholarship students, the Vehbi Koç Foundation, Koç Holding Corporate Communications Department and the MLMM project coordination team. A follow-up and evaluation module has also been integrated into the project through the portal to follow up the project implementation and volunteer working hours and to make an assessment.
Support for Culture and the Arts
The socio-cultural life of a country is just as important as its economic conditions for the country's progress and social development. Therefore, while contributing to the country's economy with economic activities, Koç Group also sets aside resources for culture and arts, other pillars of social development. Koç Group supports art and artists by protecting the country's historical and cultural heritage and creates awareness through many projects it develops every year. The Group aims to extend culture and arts to large groups of people through its activities ranging from archaeology to history, museum curatorship to modern art.
Istanbul Biennale
The Koç Group consistently aims at excellence in its support of culture and the arts. To this end, in 2007, it came up with significant projects that would leave an impact on society. One of these projects was support for modern art, a sphere of art that is very close to the man on the street, and is international, participatory, and intimately concerned with social problems.
To this end, Koç Holding has assumed the sponsorship of five Istanbul Biennales over a ten-year period from 2007 to 2016. At the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts' 10th International Istanbul Biennale, entitled “Not only Possible, but also Necessary: Optimism in the Age of Global War” was sponsored by Koç Holding. More than 150 projects by 96 international artists and art groups were exhibited in five exhibition halls.
In the two months after it opened its doors on September 8th, 2007, approximately 91,000 people visited the exhibitions of the 10th International Istanbul Biennale, Turkey's largest contemporary art festival, which transformed Istanbul into a huge platform for the arts.
Koç Holding provided free entrance to university students, enabling 18,000 students from universities in Istanbul and the surrounding provinces to visit the 10th Istanbul Biennale. Young art lovers were enthusiastic about the children's educational programs conducted at the Pace Art Center as part of the Biennale. More than 800 children between the ages of six and 14 attended the workshops conducted twice a week during the Biennale.
Koçtaş provided support for the “Dream House” project and supplied the equipment and materials used at the Biennale. Yapı Kredi also participated with its “Night Roamers” project and financed the publication of the Biennale's catalogue. Arçelik sponsored the Biennale's audio-video systems.
Sizinkiler
For two consecutive years, Koç Holding has been supporting the children's musical “Sizinkiler-Dünya Kaç Bucak”, which was staged for the first time in 2006 by Beşiktaş Culture Center Players and where renowned Turkish cartoonist Salih Memecan's cartoon characters feature. In 2006, the play went to 17 provinces reaching 100 thousand children including those in Istanbul. In 2007, 54 performances were held in 25 provinces.
In two years, a total of 160 thousand children had a chance to see the play. Students from less advantaged schools were encouraged to see the play. Children, parents and teachers expressed the need for such plays and their pleasure in seeing the play in the play's memory book.
For My Country
Koç Holding declared the last Sunday of May “For my Country Day” in commemoration of the anniversary of its inception. Koç Group employees and country-wide dealers carry out a variety of social responsibility projects in their respective provinces. This volunteer-supported project aims to spread social responsibility conscience, to instill a more participatory attitude towards the issues of the community and to embrace any and all efforts to aid local development under a coordinated approach.
Since 2006, 387 social responsibility projects have been carried out, ranging from playgrounds that address physically impaired and school repairs to setting up laboratories and libraries, along with technical infrastructure upgrades such as providing pcs.
Now in 2008, the project is being carried out with a new theme and a new approach. This year we are also striving to make a difference by creating scale by focusing on one specific issue that appeals to all: climate change. There are many causes and many different ways of addressing climate change but there is one approach that is simple to understand, easy to employ and a blessing to enjoy: forestation.
‘For My Country’, 2008 brought the Koç Group around a single, country-wide, massive campaign with a particular concentration on the environment around climate change. Through the collaboration of both the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and a major Turkish NGO - the Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion, for Reforestation and the Protection of Natural Habitats (TEMA) - Koç Group set out to plant 700,000 saplings in seven forests in seven cities and to set an example for the things that we can do for and about the environment.
Each sapling planted in ‘Koç Group’s For My Country Forests’ throughout Turkey will grow into magnificent trees absorbing incalculable amounts of atmospheric particles and carbon dioxide each year, which in turn will produce oxygen, while providing a habitat for various kinds of living organisms and fighting against erosion and global warming.
Aside from these forests created with contributions from Koç Group employees, dealers, suppliers, and companies under the ‘For My Country’ project, awareness raising campaigns and sub-projects about and supporting the environment are continuing at the same pace.
During the first year of the project in 2006, some 223 projects of different sizes were initiated in all corners of Turkey. To cite some projects as examples; Koç Group dealers in Adıyaman first formed a committee, and then supported the needs of the Adıyaman Nursing Home, the Foundation for Living with Diabetes, and the Social Services and Child Protection Institution. Twelve dealers in Hatay joined forces to make provisions for three boarding schools and a special needs school. Twenty-one dealers in Trabzon set up a science and technology laboratory at one of the city’s schools. Koç Information Group companies and Tat Konserve Maret İşletmesi built a library for Necmiye Güniz Elementary School in Istanbul and for Arif Nihat Asya Elementary School in Gebze, respectively. Opet renovated the Kemalpaşa Denen Elementary School in Izmir and built annexes.
The ‘For My Country’ project kept its pace in 2007. Koç Group dealers sponsored a total of 118 projects in 81 cities in Turkey. Out of these were 101 projects in education; two in culture and the arts; eight in assisting social organizations; and five in other areas. That same year, 35 Koç Group companies accomplished 46 “For My Country” projects, of which 33 were in education; four in health; six in assistingsocial organizations; and two in the environment. To give another example, with Tofaş dealer Poyraz Otomotiv taking the lead, dealers in Aydın built a one-ton milk cooling and preservation tank for five villages. Also, Hakkari dealers, coordinated by Arçelik dealer Ali Şen, built a sixty-person conference room at Hakkari High School. New Holland Trakmak, another Koç Group company, provided education materials to schools in the villages of Şanlıurfa, Şırnak and Manisa. Otokoç created a technology class with computers at Ersoy Elementary School in Antalya’s textile region. Other examples in 2007 include Opet Petrolcülük’s classroom renovation project at Marmara University’s Faculty of Fine Arts and blood donors and financial contributions among Türk Traktör employees for the Foundation of Children with Leukemia (LÖSEV). These projects are just a few examples of the work already undertaken.
Koç Holding recognized the contributions of dealers and companies among the Most Successful Koçs in 2007. The dealers award was given to dealers in Antalya who worked on behalf of the orphans at the Zübeyde Hanım Child Protection Institute as part of a project led by Ford dealer Ismail Bilal. In 2007, they built an annex to the institution they had renovated the previous year. They also redesigned two additional rooms: one room for activities such as drawing, craftwork, and computers; and the other – to encourage productivity – equipped with a galosh production machine so mentally challenged orphans could make galoshes, sold to hospitals and clinics, and could enjoy being productive every day. Among the Group’s companies, Arçelik received an award for their campaign to clean Haliç and to raise environmental awareness, which they undertook with the Deniz Temiz Association/Turkish Marine Environmental Protection Association (TURMEPA). The objective of employees at Arçelik Sütlüce General Directorate was to draw attention to protecting both the environment and diminishing natural resources.
Education
Koç Group companies continued many educational projects in 2007. Through the Aygaz “Careful Child Campaign,” primary school children were informed about first aid and about what to do in case of school or home accidents, earthquake, traffic accidents and fire. Thus far, a total of 310,000 children have been reached by training and through the free “Careful Child” theater production.
In the aftermath of the 1999 earthquake, the Vehbi Koç Foundation and the Istanbul Governor's Office signed a protocol to rebuild the Beyazit Primary School, which had collapsed. Under the protocol, Ford Otosan, a Koç Group company, spent USD1.7 million to put up a new school. The Beyazıt Ford Otosan Primary School is an excellent example of the Group's contributions to education in Turkey. The school offers the opportunity for gifted children to receive an education alongside their normal counterparts at a public school. They comprise approximately 150 of the 500 students studying there. The Beyazıt Ford Otosan Primary School provides education at the high standards that a modern education demands, particularly with respect to technical opportunities. The school has been constructed to withstand an earthquake measuring nine on the Richter scale.
In addition, under the auspices of the “100% Support to Education” Campaign and under the leadership of the Vehbi Koç Foundation, Ford Otosan provided USD5.5 million in financing for the construction of the Kocaeli Ford Otosan Primary School. Completed in six months, it opened its doors in 2007.
The “I am reading and I am learning” Project, sponsored by Yapı Kredi, was officially inaugurated by the Turkish Education Volunteers Foundation on August 31st, 2006 in 11 parks and 55 schools. This project is a creative reading program designed to get children excited about reading and to get them to take their first steps towards creating a reading habit.
The “I am reading and I am learning” Project takes into consideration children's levels of perception and interest at the various developmental stages. By improving critical and creative thinking skills, it is an imaginative and active reading program supported by painting, music, dance and creative drama.
In 2007, a total of 21,173 activities in educational parks and schools were held with the assistance of well-known academics and volunteer teachers. The goal of the project is to inculcate the joy of reading in children and, by 2010, it is hoped that the project will have reached 50,000 children.
Deniz Temiz/Turkish Marine Environmental Protection Association (TURMEPA) and Yapı Kredi Bank have collaborated on the “Endless Blue” project to raise awareness among elementary and high school students on the importance of preserving our natural resources.
The project, supported by the Ministry of Education, intends to reach the principal and an interested teacher, who in turn give trainings to their students on “Endless Blue” Project.
Through the training given to teachers and school principals, the project has set its sights on reaching 6,592,000 elementary and secondary school students and on training 300,000 teachers in 28 coastal provinces and in the city of Van.
The project kicked off in Üsküdar, Istanbul, on 4 December 2006, and later introduced in Adana, Muğla, Antalya, Düzce, Van and in various Istanbul districts in 2007. In 2008, cities and districts included in the “Endless Blue” project were Ümraniye, Sultanbeyli, Fatih, Bayrampaşa, Güngören, Bağcılar, Esenler, Gaziosmanpaşa, Çatalca, Silivri in Istanbul along with Mersin, Hatay, Aydın, Sinop, Kocaeli, Sakarya and Bartın. While training has been completed in Mersin and in the Istanbul districts of Ümraniye, Sultanbeyli, Fatih, Bayrampaşa, Güngören, Bağcılar, Esenler, and Gaziosmanpaşa, the project is now progressing in Hatay and in the Çatalca and Silivri districts of Istanbul.
Culture and the Arts
In addition to the support they have provided to the Holding's culture and arts projects, the Koç Group companies have contributed to the spread of cultural values through various social responsibility projects and the publication of books.
Aygaz has continued to back the restoration of the Antonin Fountain, one of the most magnificent works in the Ancient city of Sagalassos, located in the township of Ağlasun in Burdur. Through the excavation and the promotion of Sagalassos, Aygaz is transferring resources to the local economy and supporting tourism in the region. In 2007, the 3,500-piece puzzle of the Antonin Fountain was completed. Reinforcement of the Fountain will continue until 2010.
The Aygaz Library has published nine works since it was established in 1997. In 2007, it published the book The Treasures of Troy.
The Film Traveler's Festival tours different universities countrywide every year, and was held for the fifth time in 2007. Supported by Yapı Kredi, this festival enables university students to watch award-winning movies free of charge.
In 2007, Yapı Kredi Kültür Sanat Yayıncılık continued to support high quality and distinctive events in the arts with the aim of enriching the country's cultural life. These events include the nearly 200 books and five journals published by Yapı Kredi Publications, 18 exhibitions, movies and performances held at the Yapı Kredi Cultural Center, and nearly 500 different library and museum functions, and festivals.
Yapı Kredi has been one of the main sponsors of Çatalhöyük archaeological excavations since 1997. Yapı Kredi Vedat Nedim Tor Museum hosted a comprehensive exhibit in Istanbul from May 25 to September 30, 2006, to share the excavation’s details and artifacts with a larger audience, attracting over 40,000 visitors. A 197-page catalogue was compiled with photographs and illustrations depicting the tumulus along with pictures of findings exclusive to this exhibit: human skeletons, seal imprints, obsidian tools, baskets, bead-like clay, stones and skeletal remains.
The 21-metre-high Çatalhöyük Mound, located near Çumra, Konya, in central Turkey harbours the secrets of 9,000 years ago. Inhabited by a population between 3,000 and 8,000 for 1,400 years from 7,400 BC to 6,000 BC, Çatalhöyük is one of the most significant and impressive archaeological sites in the world.
The Neolithic remains in Çatalhöyük were discovered by English archaeologist James Mellaart in the 1950s. Four periods of excavations took place between 1961 and 1965. Excavations started again in 1993 under the supervision of Ian Hodder and are expected to last until 2017. These new excavations take advantage of modern scientific methods in reconstructing Çatalhöyük’s social life.
This year a new protective shelter was built over a new excavation site at Çatalhöyük. In the longer term, plans are for 40 buildings to be displayed and sheltered in sync with the surrounding giving a sense of the 9,000 year-old-town frozen in time.
Opet is involved with the Gallipoli Peninsula, which is rich in history and the site of the Gallipoli Battle. Because of its special features, the Gallipoli region receives millions of visitors. Due to inadequate infrastructure, the annual three million visitors to the area confronted various difficulties. Opet took notice of this and responded by developing its “Respect for History” project through which improvements were made to the villages of Alçıtepe, Seddülbahir, Bigalı, Kilitbahir, and Büyük and Küçük Anafarta and the Eceabat townships. This facelift enabled the historical and cultural facets of the area to become more prominent.
In an attempt to encourage local development, English, pension management, and cleanliness and hygiene classes were provided to the people of the region. The modern-looking village squares, museums, modern toilets and renewed shops brought about by renovation projects will not only expand regional tourism but also increase the revenue of village administrations.
As the final stage in the project, Opet built a “Respect for History Park” and an “Open-air Museum” on a 2,520-meter area along the coast in Eceabat. This created a spot from which military positions reflecting a cross-section of the Gallipoli War could be seen. The Respect for History Project received the “Zirvedekiler” social responsibility award from Platin Dergisi in 2007.
Health
The Group companies continued various social responsibility projects in the health sector. One of the most important of these is the “Ayışığı: Aygaz'dan Sağlık Işığı” project, which is for health centers providing basic health services in Turkey. The vaccination rooms, the most heavily used sections in the health centers, were completely renovated and all required equipment and supplies were procured for them. By raising the standards of these rooms, as of the end of 2007, the “81 Health Centers in 81 Provinces!” project was completed. The Ayışığı project was implemented through the financial support and morale of Aygaz dealers and Aygaz employees.
Migros continued its “Health Begins at the Market” project in 2007. Designed to raise consciousness of a healthy life, the project, under the guidance of dieticians, provides information about how the foods in a shopping basket are used by the body, what constitutes healthy living conditions and what needs to be done to have healthy diets.
Opet's Clean Toilet Campaign put toilet cleanliness and hygiene on the agenda in Turkey. The importance of the matter was stressed on various platforms, first and foremost being Opet stations. In cooperation with the Ministry of Education, more than 100,000 students have received education on this topic. With regard to the needs of the handicapped, conditions and standards of toilets for the handicapped have been brought to Opet gas stations. Cartoons to educate children and adults have been prepared and broadcast on television.
Quoted from 2007 Annual Report