Takeda Türkiye and Tohum Autism Foundation Announce Meaningful Partnership

Takeda Turkey supported the Tohum Autism Foundation's "Every Class a Seed" project as part of its sustainability initiatives.

For 243 years, Takeda has worked to improve lives, and while developing new treatment methods, it continues its efforts in the sustainability area. Operating in 80 countries, the company implements projects addressing the needs of communities where it operates within its social responsibility policy.

Like at the global level, Takeda develops value-creating projects in Turkey as well. Most recently, it partnered with the Tohum Autism Foundation, which pioneers the integration of children with autism into society through specialized education, on a meaningful project. Takeda Turkey supported the Foundation's "Every Class a Seed" project, which aims to increase educational access for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and provide educational materials to specialized education classrooms in state schools. Under the cooperation, materials were procured for the specialized education classroom at Sarıyer Uğur Erkey Primary School, and a training program was planned for classroom teachers on educating students with special education needs. Under the program, specialized education teachers will receive training on "Teaching Language and Communication Skills"; general education classroom teachers and school staff will receive training on "Working with Students with Autism"; and students will receive training on "Peer Awareness." Additionally, training sessions on "Specialized Education for Children with Autism" will be organized for residents, teachers, and parents. Throughout the year, the project will be further supported by a teacher network created to update teachers' knowledge and evaluate feedback from them.

Tohum Autism Foundation General Director Burçak Karakaya stated: "For 21 years, we have emphasized at every opportunity that early diagnosis and intensive, continuous education are the only known solutions in autism. Today in our country, out of approximately 700,000 children of school age with autism, only 41,854 can access education. As the Tohum Autism Foundation, we continue our efforts to provide more scholarship opportunities to students at our educational institutions and to procure specialized education materials such as educational tools and technology products suitable for the needs of students with autism studying in specialized education classrooms opened by the Ministry of National Education, and to provide educational support to teachers, families, all students studying in schools, and school administrations. For this purpose, through the 'Every Class a Seed' project, we have renovated 186 specialized education classrooms in 42 provinces across Turkey, and trained thousands of specialized education teachers. Today we are pleased to meet with Takeda Turkey for this shared goal. We hope that more institutions will support this project for equal opportunity in education and that the number of renovated specialized education classrooms across Turkey increases rapidly with our supporting institutions."

Takeda Turkey General Director Ömür Mangaloğlu, expressing satisfaction with contributing to the education processes of children with autism, stated: "With our vision of providing a healthier, brighter future, while improving the quality of life of patients, we take great satisfaction in conducting various collaborations with civil society organizations on sustainability-focused projects. Coming together with the Tohum Autism Foundation, which has been working for over 20 years on early diagnosis of children with autism spectrum disorder in Turkey and meeting the health, education, employment, independent living, and inclusion needs of diagnosed children and their families at world standards, is very valuable for Takeda Turkey. We believe that education is the most powerful tool for individuals with autism to express themselves in society and lead an independent life. I wish the children to have a productive education period through this important project developed by the Foundation to provide educational access for individuals with autism, meet their needs for living in contemporary society, and provide material support to state schools in need."

On 16 October, representatives from Takeda Turkey and the Tohum Autism Foundation participated in a visit to the renovated specialized education classroom of Sarıyer Uğur Erkey Primary School, organized in collaboration with the Sarıyer District National Education Directorate.