Konak Mayor and Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Candidate Abdül Batur said in Turkey, "What will happen to my disabled child when I die?" He brought up a project that would bring peace to the hearts of thousands of families living with anxiety. Batur wants to establish a giant complex in Izmir that will take care of children by providing service 7 hours a day, 24 days a week.
Konak Mayor and Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Candidate Abdül Batur set a new goal after his work providing services to disabled children and their families in Narlıdere and Konak. Batur said that they witnessed mentally disabled children connecting to life in Manisiz Ömür Village, which he established as his first job as soon as he took office in Konak and described as "our most pleasant service". "What will happen to my disabled child when I die?" He said that he wanted to establish a giant complex in Izmir that would not leave behind the eyes of families living with anxiety and would take care of children by providing service 7 hours a day, 24 days a week.
“It truly is like a miracle.”
Pointing out that disabled families are dealing with big issues, Batur said, “No one can understand what these families go through. During our term as Narlıdere Mayor, we provided services to disabled children and their families, a first in Turkey. We have worked to make their lives easier. In addition to our work for our children, we also tried to ensure that our families could socialize and do their jobs within their daily routine. By leaving their children with us, parents could do their work and socialize without having to look away. When we took office in Konak, we took action quickly and established Manisiz Ömür Village as one of our first actions. It was our most pleasant work; Because it is truly a miracle to see how our disabled children and families connect to life there. But these studies need to be developed,” he said.
"We should be able to say, 'Don't be left behind,'"
Families with disabilities ask, "What will happen to my child when I die?" Pointing out that anxiety is one of the biggest invisible wounds of society today, Leader Batur said, “We need to know what a deep pain this is. We should be able to say to these families, "Don't be left behind." For this reason, we want to establish a giant complex in Izmir that will be an example for Turkey. Relying on our experience, we know that we will do this very quickly and completely. This facility will operate 7 hours a day, 24 days a week, connecting our disabled children and their families to life, and will also take care of our children who have no one to care for them. We want to reassure our families by solving this problem as soon as possible. "This should be one of our most fundamental duties," he said.
Free evaluation for 547 children
Konak Municipality established Manisiz Hayat Village in Tepecik together with the Disabled Individuals Protection and Education Foundation (EBKOV). Mentally disabled children and their families are supported at the Konak Manisiz Ömür Village Special Education and Rehabilitation Center, which Mayor Batur describes as "our most pleasant work".
In this center, located on an area of eleven decares, disabled and developmentally at-risk children, with a priority on ages 0-6, are included in the physical therapy and rehabilitation program. The center, which has a team of expert child physiotherapists, child development specialists and psychologists, offers basic, complementary and intensive training programs for the 7-12 age group and the 12-18 age group. Within the scope of the "Continuing Life" project, occupational therapy and hobby workshops are held at the center in order to enable adults over the age of 18 to participate in life.
17 children graduated
The center provided free evaluations to 547 children over a period of approximately five years. This evaluation, which measures the problem situation and educational performance, is of great importance for planning the child's life by providing early detection. The center, where 17 children graduated from the early intervention program, currently serves 180 individuals.
