A few months ago, the Rehabilitation Centre in Kalkan had to close its doors.

The previous manager was unable to sustain the operation, as a viable business concern, and the education and development of 42 children was brought to an abrupt halt.

Thankfully, things are about to change.  In this report we tell you about the new manager, who is about to reopen the centre.

Background
The Kalkan Rehabilitation Centre is located on Gül Sokak, close to the Sevgi Hotel.  Over recent years, it has had a couple of owners/managers. 

The centre is a 50:50 joint venture - a kind of government/business partnership.  Funding comes from the government, which pays a sum for each student who attends.

The business managers have sought to provide specialist education and support for people with learning difficulties, who live in Kalkan and surrounding villages.

Most of these individuals are children, ranging from toddlers to teenagers, plus a small number of young adults.  They mostly come from family backgrounds with limited resources, who very much need the kind of support that is available in these special schools.

KTLN has published a few articles about the work of the Rehabilitation Centre, and how local people have provided voluntary help to the centre, and have organised fundraising events. 

The KTLN Trust has been happy to provide support for this valuable community resource.  You can read earlier KTLN reports here.

Closure
Last year, we became aware that the then manager was facing a number of challenges to keep the business open.

Despite the help and support of the local community, in March 2011, KTLN learned that the centre was to close.  We paid a visit, to discover the doors locked, with no sign of activity.  The manager, did eventually answer the knock on the door, and he explained that he could no longer continue with the business. 

It was a sad moment.  My heart sank to think that the students would no longer be getting this much needed support.  I also felt sad for the brilliant and dedicated teachers, who were suddenly out of a job.

The manager placed an advert in a journal, seeking someone to take over.  Fortunately, someone in Istanbul read the advert and made contact.

A new beginning
That person was 36 year old Firdevs Tekin, a graduate from Ankara university, and an experienced special needs education professional.

Over recent months, Firdevs has been ploughing through seemingly endless paperwork, in order to get the school up and running.

When KTLN caught up with her, earlier this week, she was happy to report that the paper chase is nearly over, and she hopes to be in a position to reopen the centre by the end of June.

We asked her whether the same students would be returning.  She confirmed that would be the case, and also some of the teachers who used to work there.  The centre will be open from Monday to Friday, and closed at the weekend.

Firdevs and her team have already been hard at work, preparing for the reopening.  The ground floor reception area has had the old, dark carpets removed, and a new travertine floor has been laid.  This gives the place a bright, clean feel as you walk through the door.

Below: New owner/manager Firdevs Tekin, in the centre's reception area.

Plans for the future
We asked Firdevs about her plans for the centre.  What will be different under her stewardship?  She told us that she intends to bring more students to the rehabilitation centre. 

There are more people out there who need help.  She says that her ultimate maximum would be to have 150 students, in the current premises, however the numbers will increase slowly from the current number of 42.

Clearly, that means more teachers will be needed, but this will be funded from the additional per capita income from the government.

Firdevs also plans to introduce new therapies to the centre.  For example, she wants to open up the swmming pool, which was boarded over, so she can provide hydrotherapy. 

And she also wants to bring a few miniature horses on to some adjacent land, for the students to interact with - a treatment which is apparently called hippotherapy.  Firdevs will need to obtain the relevant permissions to use the land in this way.

Local support
Having met Firdevs, we think she is a breath of fresh air, and just what the centre needs.  We told her how many local people have supported the work of the centre in the past, and we have no reason to believe that support will not be there in future. 

Firdevs said that she welcomes the involvement of the community, and she is happy to meet people who want to help.  If you are thinking of visiting, please be aware that Firdevs does not speak English.

We wish Firdevs and her team every success, in relaunching what is a vital service for many young people, in the Kalkan area.

[Coming soon, a great story about how some Kalkan holidaymakers learned about the centre, and went back to the UK to raise a significant sum for the students].

Kalkan Turkish Local News - your window on Kalkan Turkey