"Habala hubala" might not mean anything to you, but to the children attending Güneş Evi, an education center in the Seyranbağları neighborhood in Ankara, it is probably what they will remember most from a visit organized by the Bilkent University Health Center.
Yasemin Çetiner, the founder and director of Güneş Evi, explained that she opened the center four years ago when she recognized the great need for supplemental education for the children in her neighborhood. Beginning with some basic play and simple materials, she created an opportunity for children to get off of the streets and discover a new world. As she could not continue these efforts on her own, she sought financial assistance from various sources. After receiving support from TEGV Türkiye Eğitim Gönüllüleri Vakfı (Turkish Educational Volunteers Foundation) the center became an inviting atmosphere for neighborhood children.
Last week, volunteers from Bilkent also supported the efforts of Güneş Evi when they visited with donations of food and school supplies which had been collected from the Bilkent University community. They also prepared baked goods for the visit and shared them with 40 children attending the program. Murat Bayer, a student in the Department of Performing Arts entertained them with his guitar and delightful children’s songs. (That is where the "habala hubala" came from!)
