The Turkish Family Health and Planning Foundation (TAP Foundation) was established in 1985 under the leadership of Vehbi Koç by a group of businesspeople, academics, and representatives from labor and employer organizations. Its founding purpose was to support maternal and child health and family planning services within the scope of preventive healthcare.
Following the enactment of the “Population Planning Law” in 1965, individuals were granted the right to have as many children as they wanted, whenever they wanted. A significant legislative advancement came in 1983, expanding the range of family planning methods to include surgical options and legalizing the termination of pregnancies up to ten weeks. During this period—when public services aimed at reducing maternal and infant mortality were being expanded—TAP Foundation began developing projects to support the Ministry of Health’s efforts, based on the belief that the private sector should also take responsibility in this field.
By the 1990s, thanks to communication campaigns and extensive fieldwork, public awareness of family planning and related methods had reached high levels. To address knowledge gaps and misconceptions and to increase the use of family planning methods, social marketing programs were implemented. Steps were also taken to introduce this model within private healthcare settings.
The 1994 United Nations International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo marked a turning point, promoting a more holistic approach under the concept of reproductive health and emphasizing access to reproductive rights as a shared global strategy. As a result, TAP Foundation expanded its focus to include sexuality education, safe motherhood, reproductive health risks, fertility regulation, sexual health, and sexually transmitted infections. The Foundation adopted a rights-based approach grounded in gender equality as a guiding principle for all its programs.
Since the early 2000s, adolescents and youth have been included as key target groups. Peer-led projects reached university students, while school-based sexuality education programs targeted adolescents and teachers. To reduce maternal and infant mortality rates, TAP Foundation implemented safe motherhood programs, offering training to both healthcare providers and pregnant/postpartum women, alongside community-based outreach initiatives.
Structural gaps in addressing the sexual health needs of young people, combined with high levels of population mobility, have contributed to increased sexual health risks, including the spread of sexually transmitted infections and HIV. TAP Foundation supports efforts to raise awareness on sexual health and expand access to counseling and screening services.
Local governments have consistently worked to address the primary needs of communities, with a notable increase in services for women and children in recent years. In line with these efforts, TAP Foundation has launched awareness and education initiatives in cooperation with municipalities across the country, aiming to empower women and girls.
