At a luncheon hosted by U.S. First Lady Jill Biden, Turkish First Lady Emine Erdoğan spotlighted Türkiye’s Volunteer Ambassadors (Gönül Elçileri Projesi) initiative. The event took place during the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.
In her speech, Erdoğan emphasized the shared global responsibility of ensuring every child has a safe and loving home, underscoring Türkiye’s commitment to child welfare. She advocated for expanding the Volunteer Ambassadors program beyond Türkiye, stating: “I find this step toward spreading our Volunteer Ambassadors Programme, which aims to ensure the safety and well-being of children under protection, incredibly valuable.”
The Volunteer Ambassadors initiative, launched in 2012, focuses on providing family care for children without it. It promotes foster care as a key means to ensure children receive the love, security, and emotional stability they need. Erdoğan stressed that every child deserves to grow up in a nurturing environment, and the program works by engaging volunteers and foster families to collaborate with the state in supporting vulnerable children.
With over two million volunteers, the program has transformed the lives of countless children in Türkiye, especially those in protective care, becoming a cornerstone of the country’s social policy. Erdoğan called for its global expansion, pointing to the urgency in regions facing crises, such as Gaza, where children suffer from war and deprivation.
“Our collective duty,” Erdoğan remarked, “is to offer hope to the world’s exhausted children who are struggling with conflict and deprivation. The family is the critical starting point in changing this dark trajectory.”
In her closing remarks, she appealed to the international community to join Türkiye in supporting foster care and protecting children: “I join the global call for the Volunteer Ambassadors Programme and invite all compassionate nations to collaborate and strengthen foster care to protect our children, who are the future of humanity.”
The Volunteer Ambassadors program, praised for its innovative approach to child welfare, has reshaped Türkiye’s social welfare landscape, and Erdoğan hopes it will inspire other nations to adopt similar strategies, ensuring all children have the chance to grow up in loving, supportive environments.
