Muğla’s agricultural product turned into raw material for domestic industry
Muğla-based EGET’s agricultural activity, which started to generate scholarship income, turned into social entrepreneurship in search of higher income.
MEHMET KAYA / ANKARA
EGET, which operates under the rule that all income of the foundation is given as scholarships, has created the first lavender field in the coastal region. Following the production of lavender oil and lavender water in municipal facilities to increase the added value of lavender, lavender-based cosmetic products from shampoo to tonic were produced using this raw material, which Turkey is an importer of. EGET’s extra virgin olive oil, produced exclusively from the olives of the Muğla region, received a silver medal at Japan Olive 2020, one of the most prestigious olive oil competitions. Özlem Uzman, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Foundation, said: “The pandemic has caused serious loss of income in all segments. We think that more university students will leave education than ever before. For this reason, we have turned all our focus to scholarships. Everyone has something they can do in this regard. It is set as a rule in our foundation charter. All income is directed to scholarships. I think we are a good example of social entrepreneurship and a foundation that contributes to education.”
Özlem Uzman stated that although they are a newly established foundation, with the revenues obtained from donations and economic activities in the initial stage; they have reached a significant number of scholarships compared to many foundations that have existed for years, and that a total of 80 students benefit from EGET scholarships, including 48 ongoing scholarships.
Education, Geriatrics Ecological Agriculture Tourism (EGET) Foundation’s agricultural activity, which started in Muğla to provide scholarships to university students, has turned into an example of “social entrepreneurship” in which local agricultural raw materials are used and gourmet products are produced. Mushroom-inoculated oak saplings were planted on 22 decares of land in EGET’s Armutçuk agricultural enterprise to grow truffles, one of the world’s most expensive foods. The first truffle harvest is expected in early to mid-2020. Lavender was planted between truffle-infused oak saplings. It has been proven that lavender, which seems difficult to grow on the coast, can be grown.
After this stage, ways were sought to utilize the lavender obtained. Turkey is an importer of aromatic plant oils. With the establishment of a facility by the Metropolitan Municipality, it was decided to utilize lavender as lavender oil and lavender water instead of selling it raw. It was determined that the production of lavender cosmetics will provide more benefits due to the high quality of the product obtained. Thus, EGET TEN branded cosmetic products were produced by an experienced manufacturer by obtaining all kinds of health and conformity certificates.
Award-winning olive oil
In order to utilize the olive oil produced by the farmers in the Muğla region, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, which is the most delicious and healthiest way to obtain olive oil, was produced. EGET
The olive oil obtained through the process carried out by volunteers won a silver medal at Japan Olive 2020, one of the most prestigious competitions for olive oil producers.
Income loss in the pandemic is high, the problem of low-income students staying in education is more than you think
Özlem Uzman, Founder of the Foundation and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of EGET, said, “The problem of young people who fail because they do not have enough financial support, who cannot start their education, who drop out of education, is much bigger than you think. Every year we experience great sadness during scholarship applications. We are a foundation that has not yet spread across the country, and despite our limited publicity, more than twenty-five thousand young people have applied for scholarships in the last three years. As we see the answers to the questions in our software, we feel great sadness for the students we cannot help, for the students we cannot afford. The problem is deeper than you think. This year, workers, farmers, low-income earners have suffered a huge loss of income due to the pandemic. The unemployment rate has risen. We are afraid that in the coming years, there will be many students who will not be able to go to university and will abandon education. Our experience shows this.”
Safai Özer, Founder of the Foundation and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of EGET, reminded that EGET allocates all of its revenues to scholarships and that this is a written rule of the Foundation and said, “While we strive to generate income, we develop methods to increase the income of our country’s farmers. Lavender farming… Then, through EGET TEN, we gave one of the best examples of agriculture-based industry; we started to produce cosmetic products. Now, our olive oil has received an international award; we are a pride for Turkey. All income of EGET Foundation is allocated to scholarships. Every contribution to our foundation, every product purchased, provides support for students to hold on to life. While we are taking initiatives so that EGET Foundation can generate income, we are also being as useful as possible for producers outside of ourselves.”
EGET developed special software
EGET has also developed specialized software to manage the scholarship process and ensure fair evaluation of applications. With the software funded by the founders of the foundation, the answers given during the application process are automatically ranked by the software according to predetermined criteria and the young people who will receive scholarships are selected by the software. In the process of awarding the scholarship, students are only asked to verify their statements.