The opening program of the “Afetsavar Haneler Project,” implemented with the support of the General Directorate of Civil Society Relations of the Ministry of Interior, under the auspices of the Istanbul Governorship, with the scientific consultancy of Üsküdar University, the partnership of the Ümraniye District Governorship, and the coordination of the Tekirdağ Associations Federation, was held.
Aiming to reduce disaster risks and strengthen social resilience, the project seeks to increase levels of knowledge, skills, and awareness. Speaking at the opening program, the President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, stated that the most effective way to combat disasters is through preparedness and that strengthening household-based awareness would create a sustainable model in disaster management.
Deputy Governor of Istanbul Hasan Gözen underlined that organized societies are always successful, while AFAD Istanbul Provincial Director Prof. Haluk Özener emphasized the necessity of building disaster aware communities.
The opening program, held at the Senate Hall of Üsküdar University Main Campus, was attended by Istanbul Deputy Governor Hasan Gözen, President of Üsküdar University Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, AFAD Provincial Director Prof. Haluk Özener, Ümraniye District Governor Yüksel Çelik, President of the Tekirdağ Associations Federation Yüksel Arslan, Üsküdar University Social Contribution Coordinator Asst. Prof. Nebiye Yaşar, and Head of the Department of Family Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine Asst. Prof. Ayhan Özşahin.
The academic consultancy of the project is undertaken by the President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, the social innovation model project consultancy by Social Contribution Coordinator Asst. Prof. Nebiye Yaşar, and the project coordination by Head of the Department of Family Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine Asst. Prof. Ayhan Özşahin.
Deputy Governor Hasan Gözen: “Organized societies are always successful”
Speaking at the opening program, Istanbul Deputy Governor Hasan Gözen emphasized the importance of coordination, institutional responsibility, and a holistic approach in disaster management.
Gözen said, “Disasters constitute the number one agenda of our country. Earthquakes occurring in different regions of our country and the efforts made afterward reveal that there is also a lack of awareness. Organized societies are always successful. When we are scattered and uninformed about each other, even the smallest incident can cost us dearly. Therefore, we need to institutionalize our knowledge and experience in disaster management and offer them to society in a sustainable manner. We must determine our settlements correctly and position our housing accordingly.”
The President of Üsküdar University, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, delivered a seminar titled “The Female Bird Builds the Nest.” In his talk, Tarhan addressed the vital role of the family institution in psychological resilience and social sustainability.
Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: “We can deliver education to our capillaries”
Evaluating the Afetsavar Haneler Project, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said, “This project is a model example of cooperation between the public sector, the university, and civil society organizations. It is small, but its meaning is great. If this project is accepted appropriately and if we can reach families through initiatives such as Voluntary Disaster Ambassadorship, we will have delivered education to the capillaries of society.”
“The best way to fight a crisis is to be prepared for it”
Emphasizing the importance of mental transformation, Tarhan said, “The best way to fight a crisis is to be prepared for it. To be prepared for a crisis, one must first be mentally prepared. Without mental transformation, there can be no social transformation. Without social transformation, there can be no political transformation. Therefore, our priority is mental transformation. The first person to initiate this within the family is the mother. The role of motherhood must be strengthened. The saying ‘The female bird builds the nest’ in our culture is closely related to the mother’s primary role. Between the ages of 0 and 3, the continuous sense of security provided by the mother or the primary caregiver affects the child’s brain development by 50 percent. Neural circuits in the brain develop more strongly.”
How does a child develop a sense of basic trust?
Defining what he calls “nest deprivation,” Tarhan said, “There is a condition called nest deprivation, referred to as hospitalization. There are children left in front of mosques; they are few in Türkiye, but the number is increasing. These children die suddenly in care homes, even though they are well cared for. They are fed and looked after, yet they do not develop and die suddenly because caregivers change frequently. One day someone holds and loves the child, the next day another caregiver takes over. The child does not develop a basic sense of trust and perceives life as unsafe. When the same person touches the child in the same way and the child senses that person’s smell, synaptic development in the brain accelerates rapidly. Thus, the child begins to explore the outside world. Otherwise, the child withdraws, does not secrete growth hormone, and even if fed, the body does not grow, the child withdraws from life, and sudden deaths occur. For a child to develop a basic sense of trust, a consistent, stable, and continuous maternal role is required.”
“If the state is the mind of society, the family is its heart”
Drawing attention to global threats facing the world, Tarhan said, “Post disaster growth is possible after every disaster. Primary protection is prevention. Secondary protection is risk reduction. Then come treatment or disaster response. The third stage is post disaster education and rehabilitation. Emotional intelligence develops within the family. If the state is the mind of society, the family is its heart. When the heart deteriorates, all emotions deteriorate. When emotions deteriorate, chaos emerges. Can you imagine a society without a heart? A society that is emotionless and selfish. In a society where selfish individuals increase, there is emotional death and destruction. This is extremely dangerous and is currently a global threat. This is also why the world population is declining, addiction is increasing, and crises are growing.”
“In trauma, the break occurs at the weakest links”
Stating that in times of crisis the weakest links break first, Tarhan said: “There are many friends on social media but zero true friends. There are more people, but less humanity. There are bigger televisions, but we read fewer books. There are expensive watches, but no time at all. We feel more suspicion and trust less. There is more deception and less honesty. There is a lot of entertainment, but little empathy. There is greater material prosperity, but less spiritual peace. This is the kind of society we live in. There are crisis paradoxes. When a crisis occurs in a society, the first ruptures happen at the weakest links. Just as a chain breaks at its smallest link when tension increases, the same happens in society. In these traumas, the break occurs at the weakest links and the chain snaps.”
“If the diagnosis is wrong, the treatment does not work”
Explaining the changes in the Turkish family structure, Tarhan said: “In Türkiye, between 1994 and 2016, five person households decreased rapidly, while single person households increased. Striking changes in family structure show us an increase in single person households and single parent families. The decrease in household size symbolizes an increase in the number of fragile households. Normally, our birth rate should be 2.1, but currently it is 1.5. This shows that in 20 to 30 years the population will decrease visibly. This is a serious danger, which is why the Year of the Family was declared. The solution here is not to encourage marriage, but to find the correct diagnosis. If the diagnosis is wrong, the treatment does not work. Instead of short term diagnoses, we need to proceed based on a real medium and long term diagnosis. The marriage rate has increased by 1.6 percent, while the divorce rate has increased by 54 percent. We are experiencing a cultural crisis. It is important to find the reason for this.”
“Those who question find the truth”
Emphasizing that parents should be democratic, Tarhan said: “Democratic parenting is very important. Our traditional parenting style is authoritarian. That era is over. Children question, and those who question find the truth. Why should someone who trusts the truth be afraid of questioning? Democracy means being open to criticism, being libertarian, pluralistic, and participatory. The role of parents is to guide and warn their children. It is not possible to force goodness and virtue; on the contrary, this creates hostile children. Active listening and holding family discussions are very important.” He concluded his remarks with these words.
Prof. Haluk Özener: “We need to build disaster aware societies”
AFAD Istanbul Provincial Director Prof. Haluk Özener stated that in reducing disaster risks, it is necessary to strengthen household-based awareness and integrate individual preparedness with institutional planning. Özener said: “Disaster resilient society and disaster culture are very important. We do not have the chance to prevent natural events, but we do have the chance to prevent them from turning into disasters. Risk reduction comes first, and education is part of risk reduction. Everyone needs to come together on this issue. Anyone who comes together and contributes even a little to disaster preparedness deserves appreciation. We truly see serious efforts in this regard. After the disaster of the century, the post disaster response and recovery efforts carried out in the face of a catastrophe that is difficult to cope with worldwide are commendable. From now on, we will strengthen ourselves in risk reduction and education. We need to build disaster aware societies.”
The importance of a sustainable disaster management model was emphasized
While Tekirdağ Associations Federation President Yüksel Arslan drew attention to the critical role of civil society organizations in disaster preparedness, Ümraniye District Governor Yüksel Çelik emphasized the importance of local and sustainable disaster management models developed through cooperation between the public sector, universities, and civil society. Çelik said: “I hope this project will be beneficial. Our country is a disaster prone country, and Istanbul is one of our cities with the highest disaster risk. I believe this project will make significant contributions, especially in terms of raising awareness and consciousness.”
Project presentation delivered
Following this, Head of the Department of Family Medicine at Üsküdar University Faculty of Medicine, Asst. Prof. Ayhan Özşahin, delivered the Afetsavar Haneler project presentation, addressing the scientific dimension of disaster preparedness within the framework of a family based preventive health approach.
The critical role of disaster preparedness highlighted
Delivering the opening remarks of the program, Tekirdağ Associations Federation President Yüksel Arslan emphasized the critical role of civil society organizations in disaster preparedness and the decisive impact of local solidarity networks on social resilience.
The opening program concluded with a group photo session.