We did not want to keep our name alive, we did what was necessary to be human. Devrim Newspaper 13-June 2019 Dated Interview

Devrim Newspaper 13-June 2019

“WE DID NOT WANT OUR NAME BE LIVED, WE DID WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE AS A HUMANBEING.

There will be people who will ask, “Is there anyone who would use that phrase in the title at a time when almost everyone, from top to bottom, knows that money is the most sacred?” Yes, there is. This is the word of Ms. Özlem Uzman, one of the founders of EGET Foundation.

I wanted to interview them. They gave me a day and time. In order to arrive a little before that time, we took a narrow road lined with old Muğla houses with bay windows and arrived at the headquarters of the EGET Foundation. We used the iron ring knocker of an untouched building to announce our arrival.

We entered through a huge door that resembled the door of the inn next door. We could not believe our eyes. Between these adjacent houses, we came across a very large and well-kept garden. After admiring this garden where all kinds of plant seedlings are grown scientifically and taking photos, we went upstairs. The historical texture of the building was preserved inside as well as outside, I felt like I was living in a historical period.

After a short talk, I first talked about my book of poetry, The Composition of Immortality, and my latest book, How Exploitation Operates in the World. I gave as a gift The Colonizers’ Dreams of Establishing a One World State. Ms. Özlem Uzman, the founding member and chairperson of the board of directors of the Foundation, is a linguist and business administrator who graduated from Boğaziçi University and received her master’s degree from Istanbul University… After living in the USA for a while for her master’s degree in business administration, she returned home for family reasons. After working mostly as a manager in corporate enterprises, he has been engaged in trade on his own behalf since 2004. When they met Mr. Safai, they decided to establish a foundation together. She has held this position for four years. She worked enthusiastically in her professional life, but the last four years of her work have been the most enjoyable period of her life.

Mr. Safai, a founding board member and chairman of the board of trustees of the foundation, worked as an architect until 1992 and then as a sheep breeder in a village for twenty years. He has been living in Muğla for the last five years.

I asked them questions and got their answers.

(Nuri Çelik) How did you come up with the idea of establishing a foundation, what was your purpose and did you fund it from your private assets? Have you made a contract? Can you explain how you cover your private expenses?

(Safai Özer) We got a cash flow. Ms. Özlem and I thought of it together. We decided that the best thing to do would be to establish a foundation to provide scholarships to students who were studying at the University but were in financial difficulties. We have selected those who will take part in the administration. We did not want the Foundation to survive on donations alone. We will start to reap the fruits of our initiatives through a revolving fund in the coming years. Ms. Özlem and I donated our assets to the foundation as a notarized will. We have reserved some of our cash for our economic enterprises. We make a living from this cash. We did not and do not have any expectations from the Foundation. If we were to put all our cash into the foundation and expect something from it, it would be like taking what we put in our right pocket and putting it back into our left pocket.

(N.Ç.) It has been about four years since your foundation was established. How have you funded the expenditures and scholarships you have provided so far?

(Özlem Uzman) As the foundation is young, we cover our expenses from the founders’ donations and donations from across Turkey. Our aim is not to collect donations by going door to door, but to support the foundation by creating a revolving fund through an economic enterprise. Our first commercial enterprise is the truffle business. But we have not received any products from there yet. We started to harvest lavender products and commercial enterprises little by little. Since we are currently in the investment phase, we cannot say that these are sufficient.

(N.Ç.) How do you apply to your foundation, what criteria do you use to determine the students you will give scholarships to, how many students do you currently give scholarships to?

(S. Ö.) Students who will receive a scholarship apply online via the internet. Sixteen thousand students applied in two years. Applicants have to answer more than thirty questions. The economic situation of the country and the predicament of the students cannot be better described than this. Sixteen thousand students who have applied in these two years prove that we have our finger on the pulse of the field.

Students in the ranking determined by the computer are also subjected to an oral interview. Those who stand out in these two scoring categories will have to prove the accuracy of the information provided in the application. Our regulation stipulates that those who finish school and get a job must give a scholarship to another student after six months of work, but this is not a legal obligation.

We are currently giving scholarships to 31 students. Our situation is such that it is the duty of governments and local authorities to provide scholarships to more students.

(N: Ç.) What does the name of the foundation stand for, why didn’t you give your name to the foundation?

(Ö. U.) The name of our foundation stands for education, geriatrics, ecological agriculture and tourism. Geriatrics is a branch of science that ensures that middle-aged and older people not only stay healthy, but also stay physically and mentally healthy and age well.

We are more interested in the social aspect. We can’t say that we have actively done much about it. We have forward-looking projects. We don’t want to talk much without doing something. As our projects are realized, we will announce what we have done.

We didn’t give our name to the foundation. Because we did not aim to keep our name alive, but only to fulfill the necessity of being human. We owe a debt to this land and its people. We want to repay this debt. If we had given our name to the foundation, we would not have achieved this goal.

The Foundation will live not by our name, but by the number of scholarships awarded and the lives it touches.

(N. Ç.) My esteemed teacher, Ms. Özlem. He said geriatrics is more your subject. What do you want to say about this?

(Prof. Dr. Nurettin Demir, Advisory Board Member) When people reach a certain age, they are left alone with their own loneliness in parallel with the development of technology and technology. It is necessary to connect them to life. Geriatrics is the problem of our country and the world. Bu nedenle aslında çözümler üretmek ve bunları yaşama bağlamak, devletlerin görevidir. Our friends have taken this as a target for the foundation. They want to save the elderly from loneliness and ensure that they live happier lives both mentally and physically. They are doing scientific studies. Their achievements in agriculture, in the cultivation of lavender and truffles, and their work in the garden and elsewhere are proof of this.

When I founded the Faculty of Medicine, it was my dream to establish geriatrics and oncology villages. It’s important to dream. We would like to realize these dreams one day. The obstacles of local governments and politics must also be overcome to realize these dreams. Our foundation has important projects for the future. Our friends are working hard to put these into practice.

( N. Ç.) As far as I know, your foundation also has a truffle production project. Four years ago, I was among the invited guests. As guests, we planted an oak tree to produce this mushroom. And a plaque with our name on it. What led you to this business? Was your main goal to make money?

(Ö. U.) Our main purpose was to carry out income-generating works and transactions for EGET Foundation. Before establishing the foundation, Mr. Safai had an idea. He has done research on this subject

There was an institute at Sıtkı Koçman University doing research on these issues. From there, after establishing the foundation, we purchased 415 oak trees whose roots were inoculated with truffle spores in a laboratory environment. They were planted at the event on May 24, 2015, where you were present. After about a year, we will start harvesting. Ours is a very valuable winter breed that can fetch a thousand Euros a kilo. We are the largest breeder in our country in this regard.

(N.Ç.) Next year, your fifth year will be up and you will start to harvest. Are the planted oaks inoculated in advance and, since we cannot see the underground crops, is it necessary to detect the presence of the fungus with specially trained dogs?

(S. Ö.) Vaccination is done in a laboratory environment. They are kept in greenhouses to investigate whether they are infected with foreign fungi. The laboratory at Muğla S. K University has collapsed… It has become devoid of important experts. We have to take samples of the roots and send them to France for control. Specialized dogs are used to harvest it. We are currently raising a cub.

(N. Ç.) It is known that truffles, also known as black diamonds, have been recognized and cultivated in Europe since the 18th century and festivals have been organized in some European countries. Even a hundred grams is too much for locals to afford. What makes this product so valuable and how will you market it? I assume you have done some preliminary work and research to market your products abroad, haven’t you?

(S. Ö.) In a way, we don’t need to do research. Because sixty restaurants from Europe have already contacted us in response to the online announcement. Prices are so high because demand is high and production is low…

Europe already sets the prices. There are two types of truffles: Alba white and melanosporum. Alba white cannot be cultivated. As much as can be obtained from nature is utilized. As such, their prices are very high compared to other species. Ours is the winter type… The current price is around 1200 dollars. The product we will get next year will be around 22 KG with the calculation of 1 KG per acre. But this will increase tenfold after 10 years, and then it will continue at this level until the age of fifty. After the age of fifty, it will be necessary to renew the seedlings.

(N. Ç.) Önümüzdeki yıl ürün alıp bunların satımı sonucu bir artı değer elde edeceksiniz. After expenses, will you invest the surplus in a new investment or do you plan to use it for charity, how?

(Ö. U.) Ekolojik tarımla ilgili yatırımlarımız tamamlandıktan sonra artı değer yaratılmaya başlanacak. Of course, in order to provide more scholarships, we will turn to new investments that will generate more income.

I would like to thank Mr. Safai Özer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Ms. Özlem Uzman, Chairman of the Board of Directors, for giving me the opportunity to conduct this interview. I conclude this interview by thanking my friend Prof. Dr. Nurettin Demir, a member of the advisory board of the foundation, who took the trouble to answer my questions and drove me from my home to the truffle cultivation area. We say goodbye, hoping to meet again. 12.06.2019