Who We Are

About IDEA Universal Association

IDEA Universal, which was originally founded under the title of “Volunteer Universal” in 2015 by Hayri Dağlı, was then transitioned to the IDEA Universal of today officially in 2017. The headquarters of IDEA Universal is located in Kadikoy, Istanbul, Turkey. With the dream of a better, just, and egalitarian Earth, we have so far stationed ourselves in 6 different countries. Apart from being advisory members in the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), there have been a plethora of other connections established through IDEA Universal. Backed behind by the volunteers and supporters, international institutes, private sectors and the local Turkish government, the growth and reach of IDEA Universal is increasingly reaching people in need everyday.

Our Main Works

Leading behind our sustainable development goals, we are highly focused on 4 main points of interest. These include clean water, continuous food, lasting energy, and broader education.

Water

We as an organization want to eliminate the consumption of unsanitary water for people who only have access to such. Having clean water that is also within reach can impact the lives of those who have no choice but to trek 6 kilometers a day for it. Less time consumed collecting water leads to more opening for self growth, reduces the risks of harm for the women and children who have to travel alone, and improves overall physical health when the polluted water is switched with healthy water through the Smart Village projects. Water is the basis of all life and hence that is our first cause of action when we reach our target location.

Food

We strive to create a solid agriculture system within the villages we are stationed. As part of creating a better life for the villagers, we teach how to farm new vegetation in their ecosystem that can thrive in their local environment. When time comes to cultivate what was sowed, we show as well how and when to pick the crops. Establishing a solid source of nourishment for these villagers can give them the protein they need to grow healthy for their bodies and their minds.

Energy

The use of solar panels to generate solar energy for families in the Smart Village communities have opened new opportunities for daily life of the villagers. Prolonged daylight means longer time to do social interactions, studying, or household work. With the use of solar kits, there is also most importantly a new reliability that before using fire could be inconsistent and harder to manage. However now, the use of solar energy is much less effortless to maintain.

Education

Lastly, education plays a detrimental role in widening a person’s limitations. We set to work on providing educational opportunities within the Smart Villages we work in in order to give the villagers a chance at an education that was not possible before. Due to numerous factors such as having no time to pursue an education because of retrieving water every day. Or having no time for an education because of duties pertaining to taking care of the land during the daylight hours.

Once a water system, food system, and energy system are all put into place, then can there be the chance to establish an equal education system for all of the boys and girls in the villages.

Our Principles

As IDEA Universal, we seek out to take care of people in forgotten geographies of the world who are battling with hunger and poverty. With best interest in mind for the environment and the overall global population, we stand by following the principles: participation, accountability, impartiality, and independence.

Completed Projects

The projects and programs we have created thus far, we have provided sustainable and permanent services to roughly 200,000 people in the areas of Gambia, Senegal, Tanzania, Madagascar, Nepal, and Zanzibar; We provided accessible water, improved agriculture, created energy sources, helped increase their income, and opened educational opportunities. With the 250 water projects stretched across these countries, the exponential growth of people that have been helped is ever increasing.

In counting, we have provided solar kits to 428 families. The benefits to using solar kits are the elimination of fire hazards from live flames and the prolongation of daylight activities, such as creating a longer study period for children in the evenings. No longer are people limited to the hours of sunlight, when now solar energy can provide artificial alternatives.

Regarding sustainable agriculture, we propagated the surrounding farmland with a variety of fruits and vegetables. 1,200 people from these families can now cultivate their land for anything from tomatoes to peppers. To date, we have continued to support these villages, and the people that occupy them, totalling to 102 Smart Village projects.

Click to find out more about our Smart Village projects. Learn about the story behind IDEA Universal organization through the documented series, “Water Wars” on TRT. You can also experience the life story of Hayri Dağlı, learning how he left his city life behind to live in a secluded part of Africa during 2014 in the aim of living in the life of those who have to survive for less than 1 dollar a day.