General Information

HYSD is a woman-founded non-profit cultural and social organization established in 2012 in Mardin, Turkey. HYSD, with 25 staff members, aims to improve children's living conditions and provide a holistic platform for protection and advocacy through the arts. HYSDD established the first and only social circus school for children in Turkey named Sirkhane and directly reached out to more than half a million children living near the Turkish-Syrian border through child-friendly cultural activities based on circus, music, dance, and photography. HYSD has received funding from the Erasmus+ programs and the Goethe-Institute Istanbul since 2013 and has implemented projects with the International Medical Corps, UNHCR, BMZ, ECHO, GIZ, DRC, Welthungerhilfe, Save the Children, and the Swiss and US embassies in Turkey. HYSD has created and organized several cultural projects, including Sirkhane (social circus school), Müzikhane (social music school), Sirkhane Darkroom (analog photography projects), and International Children Flying Carpet Festival.