Sosyalben founder accepted to Harvard, Oxford Universities

With her successful social responsibility project, Sosyalben, young university student Ece Çiftçi has been accepted to two of the world's most prestigious universities: Harvard University and the University of Oxford. Çiftçi has dedicated her life to social projects, and told Anadolu Agency (AA) that she was introduced to social responsibility projects at a conference when she was 14. She said she realized children did not enjoy equal educational opportunities when she participated in a workshop held in the southern province of Şanlıurfa that ultimately shaped her career.

Çiftçi continued her projects while studying sociology at Bahçeşehir University. Her project Sosyalben has evolved into an association that aims to improve the social life of children between the ages of 7 and 13 living in underprivileged regions around the world. Sosyalben was chosen as the Best Awareness Work of the Year by the Association of Turkish Medical Students (TURKMSIC).At present, the project involves 350 members and 27 cities from around the world. The association has different branches around the country and abroad, including those in Diyarbakır, Karabük, İzmir, Kayseri, Trabzon and Washington, D.C.

The association aims to discover children's talents while helping them learn more about themselves. Through a series of workshops, the nongovernmental organization seeks to build the confidence of disadvantaged youth, including those coping with mental handicaps.SosyalBen has worked with 10,000 economically disadvantaged youth in Turkey and the U.S., in addition to field projects in Gambia and Cambodia. "Volunteer university students from Turkey and abroad work for something that they wholeheartedly believe in," Çiftçi said. She is planning to continue her education in either human right's law or civil society management.