The 5th Child of TOÇEV’s supporter, Social Entrepreneur Renan Tan Tavukçuoğlu’s societal transformation project “Puduhepa and Her Sisters,” named after the heroine of the War of Independence, Halide Edip Adıvar, was presented before Atatürk in a special event commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Republic.
As part of the “Puduhepa and Her Sisters” project initiated by TOÇEV (Tüvana Reading-Enthusiastic Children Education Foundation) supporter, Social Entrepreneur Renan Tan Tavukçuoğlu, the 5th doll specially prepared for the 100th anniversary of the Republic, “Halide Edip Adıvar,” was presented to Atatürk in a special launch event held in Ankara. For the past 5 years, within the scope of the Puduhepa and Her Sisters project, millions of cloth dolls and storybooks have inspired children, families, teachers, and institutions, and now, as Halide Edip Adıvar, they have returned to us with their story and inspiration to launch an educational campaign. Puduhepa and Her Sisters celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Republic by presenting the “Halide Edip” doll, who actively participated in the struggle for women’s rights and education in the 20th century, played an active role in the War of Independence, and fought for independence, before the Great Leader. The launch event held at Ankara Divan Çukurhan was attended by figures from the fields of business, art, and media. During the event, Renan Tan Tavukçuoğlu, the founder of Puduhepa and Her Sisters, Ebru Uygun, the Chairman of TOÇEV, Banu Tozluyurt, one of the mothers of Puduhepa dolls, and representatives of the Nevruz Köyü Women’s Cooperative, who were responsible for sewing and handicrafts of the clothes, met with the press and delivered speeches. Renan Tan Tavukçuoğlu expressed her excitement, saying, “We are proud and happy to introduce you to Halide Edip Adıvar, the 5th Child of the Puduhepa and Her Sisters Project, specially designed for the 100th anniversary of our Republic. On the 100th anniversary of our Republic, we are reintroducing Halide Edip Adıvar, who is the most beautiful example of Turkish women’s strength, courage, intelligence, and what they can achieve, as the 5th Child of Puduhepa and Her Sisters, in front of our Atatürk.” The Puduhepa and Her Sisters Project is a societal transformation project that invests in children to build a more livable world. Within the scope of the project, cloth dolls of “real” Anatolian heroines and inspiring storybooks are used as tools to help girls gain self-confidence, discover themselves, grow strongly, and become beneficial individuals to themselves and society. Over the past 5 years, this project has reached the education of 155 girls within TOÇEV and provided employment to nearly 100 women. The design of the clothes for the 5th child, Halide Edip Adıvar, was created by Fırat Neziroğlu, and the clothes were produced by the Nevruz Köyü Women’s Cooperative. In the production of the dolls, earthquake-affected women in Antakya were employed, and women from Istanbul and Karabük also joined the project. The writing and illustration of the storybooks are attributed to Demet Kılıç.