Nawaipakistan.com

Naeem Ul Hassan

Several women have achieved extraordinary recognition for their efforts to promote gender equality and empower women and children. Among these well-known figures is Aynur Gürsoy, who resides in Bucharest, Romania.

The significance of gender equality cannot be overstated since it is a fundamental human right and a key component of achieving sustainable development goals. Gender equality is crucial for a thriving, just, and sustainable society because it unlocks human potential, promotes economic growth, and fosters safer, more equitable communities. Vocal advocates for gender equality and women’s rights like Gürsoy should be considered real heroes.

Gürsoy completed her education across three different countries, raising her children in culturally diverse environments throughout this journey. She earned his first bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy in Istanbul, Turkey. She later obtained a master’s degree in Bosnia and a second bachelor’s degree in Philology in Romania. She also holds a PhD in Educational Sciences from the University of Bucharest. With this diverse and international academic background, she brings a unique global perspective to her professional and personal life.

Gürsoy currently serves as Vice President and Women’s Department Coordinator at the Association for Dialogue and Universal Values. Over the past three years, she has organized panels within the United Nations parallel NGO platforms, focusing on gender equality, empowering children, violence against women, and issues concerning refugee women.

“For the past three years, we have been carrying out the Happy Children Project as a part of our Women’s Empowerment Program.

This initiative brings together foreign women living in Romania and local women, creating a meaningful space for cultural exchange, collaboration, and mutual learning. Foreign women are given the opportunity to integrate into society, practice the Romanian language, and engage in community life. At the same time, local women contribute their knowledge and experience, helping to foster social inclusion and solidarity.

Together, these women volunteer at children’s centers, where they organize art-based workshops and language courses for disadvantaged children. Through these activities, the children develop empathy, creativity, and communication skills, while the women gain confidence, a sense of belonging, and the joy of making a difference.

In addition to this, in collaboration with charities, we also organize visits throughout the year to support vulnerable women, including survivors of domestic violence and refugee women. With the participation of our volunteers, we aim to offer emotional and psychological support during these visits. We bring along care packages and small gifts and celebrate holidays with them, helping them feel seen, valued, and less alone during difficult times.

In our association, we are deeply committed to addressing the root causes of social decline, which we identify as ignorance, poverty, and discrimination. To combat these societal issues, we have adopted a framework built on three core solutions: Education to Overcome Ignorance, Solidarity to Fight Poverty, and Dialogue and Shared Values to Bridge Divisions and Promote Unity. These guiding principles continue to inspire and shape the work we do across all our programs and activities.

I am also a member of the International Women’s Association in Romania. We also have a partnership with an association that fights violence against women. Thanks to the cooperation with both of these associations, we have addressed important issues such as economy and women, gender equality, gender-based violence and femicide in the media during the parallel NGO panels of the UN in recent years. These were awareness-raising activities both in the world community and in Romanian society. I personally participated as a panelist in these panels that I organized and addressed the issues of gender equality in education,” she stated during a recent interview.

Professional progress will inevitably involve challenges, but they should be viewed as opportunities for advancement rather than obstacles. To overcome challenges, one must have a growth mentality, be a risk-taker, and never stop learning. Gürsoy’s amazing career is a wonderful example of this.

As a woman navigating academic and civil society spaces, she has encountered gender-based bias, but these experiences have strengthened her resilience and deepened her commitment to making a meaningful social impact. During a recent interview, she stated that studying and living in several countries, such as Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Romania, has presented her with a number of difficulties, such as social integration, language barriers, and cultural adaptation.

Gürsoy’s most recent accomplishments include representing Asociatia Pentru Dialog si Valori Universale (ADVU) at the “Gala Excelență la Feminin” in Bucharest, where she received the “Award of Excellence in Female Empowerment.”

There are too many achievements for Gürsoy to mention them all here. Due to her outstanding accomplishments, it would not be inaccurate to suggest that she has emerged as one of the most inspiring advocates for women’s and children’s rights and gender equality.