The Turkish Association of University Women (TAUW), with 76 years of history as one of Turkey’s largest women’s organizations, opened its first-ever school building in Hatay’s Serinyol neighborhood on April 22, 2026 — just ahead of National Sovereignty and Children’s Day on April 23.
The 8-classroom middle school, named Gazi Mustafa Kemal, was built on a 740 m² plot in response to the devastating earthquakes of February 6, 2023. It was constructed by TAUW, funded by national and international donations.
The opening ceremony drew significant attendance, including the Deputy Minister of National Education, the Governor of Hatay, The Mayor of Hatay , UWE President Başak Ovacık and representatives from numerous TAUW branches across Turkey.
TAUW President Meral Güler emphasized the importance of equal access to education, healthcare, and housing, stating that a city can only truly recover when its children can dream again. She stressed that children learning in safe, quality schools — regardless of gender — is the foundation of rebuilding society.
TAUW Hatay Branch President Tülin Teoman recounted that after an exhausting day of distributing aid following the earthquake, she had a conversation with a student in a schoolyard. The girl shared her dream of becoming an astronaut — and the president was deeply saddened to learn that the child’s school had been destroyed in the disaster. It was this moving encounter that inspired her to develop the idea of building a new school.