There are more than ten thousands of disabled people in our society and many of us are not aware of their existence, problems and ways of life. The unluckiest group amongst the disabled groups are the mentally disabled ones and it is not their own choice to be disabled.
A mentally disabled person is in need of protection and has to live being dependent on others all throughout their life. For this reason, it is a nightmare, a disaster for parents who have a mentally disabled child to live a life thinking of the unknown future awaiting their child after their death. As families who have mentally disabled children and thus live this nightmare as a first hand experience and a number of idealist people who are sensitive of this problem though not having a disabled individual within their families, we have founded the “Batıkent Foundation for the Protection of the Mentally Disabled”.

Primary Aims of Our Foundation:
--- To gather the families that have mentally disabled children under its roof, provide cooperation and assistance amongst these families, to conduct studies for the mentally disabled so as to achieve social and economic gains that will minimize their problems in life.
--- To organise meetings, panels and conferences that aim at informing families that have disabled children and the society in general regarding the reasons for mental disability, treatment and training to be practiced by making use of the knowledge of pedagogues and academicians who are experts in this field.
--- To organise attendance days and similar social activities with mentally disabled people under its roof in order to make the mentally disabled join with the society and to form a public that is sensitive for their problems.
--- To establish a “House for the Mentally Disabled” The Batıkent Mentally Disabled Employment and Life Centre in Batıkent as a protected practice where the mentally disabled will make use of their time, directed towards production and where these things they produce will be marketed. This house will be planned as a place where the mentally disabled who are without relations can carry on their lives. Thus, it is aimed to remove the worry of “How will my mentally disabled child carry on life after I die?” that the parents of these children have.
--- To conduct studies for suggestion and solution seeking in cooperation with other civil society organisations, media, other institutions and organisations regarding the announcement of the problems of the mentally disabled and bringing contemporary solutions to their problems.
---For this centre , plot 42141 section 1 registered in the name of the Treasury and measuring 2677 m2,basement has been granted to the foundation for a period of 30 years, the rent amounting to TL. 4.107 000 000 for the first year. The foundation has taken delivery of charge. The Architectural project has been drown by Acrchitect Mr. Ali KARAMAHMUT free of charge. The project was introduced to the press at a meeting attended by Labor Minister Mr Murat Başesgioglu on January 12, 2003 and the project was approved on August 15,2003. Subsidiary projects drawn by engineers whose hearts are full of love for the disabled, were also approved and a construction license was obtained on September 19, 2003.The Yetkin Yapı (Construction) Supervision Centre has undertaken to supervise the construction free of charge and a contract has been drawn up. Yenimahalle municipality has undertaken to dispense with all construction and municipality fees of our social project, and to undertake the digging of the construction site. An order has been placed for metal work 30 billion TL. out of 100 billion TL. in which donated by a benevolent person and our foundation will be laid as soon as weather conditions improve.
----The Batıkent Mentally Disabled Employment and Life Centre project will be a home for 90 mentally disabled persons and 66 mentally disabled persons who will live in this centre after the death of their parents.
-----The board of governors of our foundation has decided to immortalize in one corner of our centre the names of people, institutions or organizations that will donate a certain amount of money to our social project. The project will be materialized with the assistance of benevolent people and institutions whom we believe still exist and certain units will be named in recognition of people and institutions that will meet their.
We believe with all our heart that we will reach success in this honoured and self-sacrificing road that we have taken and achieve gains that will ease the problems that the mentally disabled are confronted with in life. The helpfulness and the sensitivity for social assistance and cooperation of humanity gives us strength.
The largest floor of our Project, 3rd basement floor, has already been concreted with the donations collected from the charity boxes located in banks, large stores and mosques with the charity collection permission taken from Ankara Governorship by our Charity; 33 Turkish Associations established by our Turkish citizens living abroad and one Swiss Association named IgEL, besides the individual donations of our former president esteemed Ahmet Necdet SEZER and Chairman of TBMM esteemed Bülent ARINÇ. The Living Center construction, that we shall bring in for our citizens with mental disabilities completely with the donations of humanitarian people, agency and institutes, is processing along with the given donations. The construction of 2nd basement floor, which the forms have been erected, shall be completed when the budget for the supply of iron bars required for 2nd basement floor has been provided. Yenimahalle Municipality has committed to provide the required ready mix concrete free of charge during the construction period, which maintains a considerable ease in the implementation of construction. We appreciate our Yenimahalle Mayor and all the humanitarian people, agency and institutes, who have donated for our Project up to this time and invite all the people, agency and institutes those care for humanity to donate for our Project.

No matter what the age of the mentally disabled person may be, it is those that are still at the mental age level of 4 – 6 year olds and have not been subject to the wickedness of social life, that resemble white carnations to us and here is what we say to helpful and sensitive people and organisations:

---DO NOT LET THE WHITE CARNATIONS FADE, GIVE THEM A DROP OF WATER.
---WHY SHOULD YOU NOT CONTRIBUTE TO THE HOUSE FOR THE MENTALLY DISABLED THAT WE WILL ESTABLISH?
---COULD YOU PLEASE AT LEAST NOT DEPRIVE THE MENTALLY DISABLED OF YOUR INTEREST AND LOVE..

BATIKENT FOUNDATION FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE MENTALLY DISABLED