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From refugee to educator: A Kurd's mission to empower children in Germany
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Driven by his own learning difficulties as a migrant child in Germany, Orhan Yildirim established tutoring centers to help other children thrive.
Yildirim moved to Germany from southeast Turkey at the age of four.
'When I arrived in Germany with my family, I realized how much our people suffer here initially due to not knowing the language and lack of knowledge. Therefore, I decided to do something that would be a service to them and reduce that burden on them,' Yildirim told Rudaw's Diaspora program that aired on Friday.
He had the idea while he was studying for his Bachelor degree in sales engineering and product management. He drafted a business plan and received a small loan from a bank. He opened his first Kluge Wahl (Smart Choice) tutoring center in 2015.
'My dream was to establish an exemplary school so I could help people. When I shared my idea with close friends and colleagues, they laughed at it and said, 'what are you talking about? This is extremely difficult work.' But I had a goal and didn't give up. To cover the expenses, I applied for a loan from a bank, but the bank gave me a small amount. With that money, we started our work and established our school,' he said.
At first, he only had five students. Most of the students in the early days were refugees who did not speak German, something he said he was comfortable teaching.
Now the center teaches children in six different western German locations - three in Bochum and one each in Duisburg, Essen and Dusseldorf.
Yildirim continues to develop the centers with new programs. Their latest initiative called Klug-Wahl Digital (Smart Choice Digital), aims to offer a digital version of their original program, enabling anyone, anywhere in the world, to join classes online.
"Our teachers are highly skilled and academic. Before they start working, they must bring a clean background certificate from the police to ensure we know about their past. We also investigate their certificates and educational background and make sure they have expertise in teaching methods, along with several other criteria and conditions,' he said.
Initial courses at the center are free, allowing students to explore subjects that interest them. If they wish to continue afterward, they pay a fee.
The centers offer courses in German, English, French, Spanish, Latin, mathematics, physics, and chemistry.
