With TÜBİTAK 4009 Support, the “One Health” Approach Brings Children and Women Together in Tekman, Erzurum

Led by the Department of Social Work at the Faculty of Health Sciences of Istanbul Gelisim University, the project aims to bring the “One Health” approach, which is based on the understanding that human, animal, and environmental health cannot be considered separately, together with the everyday experiences of children and women in rural areas.

The nine-member interdisciplinary team traveling from Istanbul to Tekman includes professors, associate professors, assistant professors, research assistants, and healthcare professionals. Bringing together experts from various fields, including social work, medicine, molecular biology and microbiology, sociology, anthropology, child development, food safety, ecology, and preventive health, the team will conduct hands-on activities with children and women over the course of three days.

Children will learn science through hands-on experience and exploration

During the activities to be carried out with children at Taşkesen Şehit Nurullah Saraç Primary School, scientific knowledge will be addressed through hands-on activities connected to everyday life. The workshops will include microscope activities, practices that make transmission routes visible, water and hygiene activities, and activities addressing the relationship between human, animal, and environmental health, with the aim of fostering children's scientific curiosity. In addition, workshops on children's rights, the environment–society–future relationship, mixed-gender professions, and emotional awareness will be conducted.

The project will not be limited to a three-day activity program. As part of the project, a permanent “One Health Children's Curiosity and Learning Space” will be established at the school. Supported by science books and microscopes, this space is intended to provide a lasting learning environment where children can continue to ask questions, conduct research, make observations, and engage with science.

Health, environment, and solidarity practices will be discussed with women around the tandoor

Another important component of the project consists of activities to be carried out with women in the region. Through the “Ecological Awareness and Health Talks Around the Tandoor”, preventive health, health awareness, ecological living, and solidarity practices will be discussed within the context of women's own everyday environments and experiences.

The activities aim to share health knowledge not as one-way expert information, but through a reciprocal learning process that brings professional knowledge together with women's experiences and local knowledge. Information on preventive health and health awareness will be provided by the physician on the project team.

The project aims to create a lasting social impact in the region

The “Holistic Empowerment through a Sustainable One Health Approach in Rural Areas” project aims to strengthen access to scientific knowledge in rural areas and to address the relationship between health, the environment, and social life from a holistic perspective.

The project team views the work in Tekman not as a short-term field visit, but as a social impact initiative through which children can carry what they learn into their families and everyday lives, women's knowledge and experiences can become part of the process, and the impact can extend beyond the implementation days through the permanent learning space to be established at the school.

The project will be carried out at Taşkesen Şehit Nurullah Saraç Primary School from September 28 to 30, 2026.

The opening program began at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, September 28, 2026, with an opening speech by School Principal Gamze Nur Fatsa, followed by a presentation about the project by Project Coordinator Asst. Prof. Emrah Tüncer. The opening program was attended by Chief Inspector Melih, Station Chief, on behalf of Tekman District Police Chief Duran Köksal; Tekman District Director of National Education Suat Şefil; Tekman District Director of Youth and Sports Fatih Arslan; Taşkesen Şehit Nurullah Saraç Primary School Principal Gamze Nur Fatsa; school teacher Özhan Öztürk; and Taşkesen Neighborhood Headman Muharrem Gürüz.

At the end of the program, plaques were presented as a gesture of appreciation to the institutions and individuals who contributed to and supported the project. The plaques were presented by Asst. Prof. Emrah Tuncer, Asst. Prof. Funda Pehlevan Karabıyık, Assoc. Prof. Anıl Al Rehbolz, Asst. Prof. Yonca Güneş Yücel Atalay, Dr. Çiğdem Tuncer, and Res. Asst. Şebnem Çelik Uçuran.