Who We Are
Kardelen was founded in 1998 by Norita Erickson. What began as hug teams bringing the light and love of Jesus to children with disabilities living in a local orphanage has evolved into a home-service model empowering children to thrive in their homes and equipping parents to be caregivers thereby reducing the risk of child abandonment at an orphanage.
Today we serve 124 families sharing the love of Jesus through our home visits and activities.
Our Vision
Children with disabilities in Türkiye are often neglected, starved or placed in state-run orphanages. Our vision is to have every person affected by a disability properly cared for in their own home with dignity and respect.
Our Mission
Where We Serve
The mission of Kardelen Mercy Teams is to empower children with special needs and their families to face the world with dignity and hope.
Kardelen Mercy Teams is based in Ankara, Türkiye, home to 5.2 million people. Government estimates show that 17% of the population is affected by a disability.
Financial Accountability
The Friends of Kardelen is a registered 501c3 non-profit in the U.S. that supports the on-the-ground ministry in Türkiye, including financial accountability and program implementation. In Türkiye, Kardelen is a registered association and undergoes regular governmental audits.
Meet Our Executive Director
Dilara Vatansever
Dilara was born in Türkiye and currently resides in Ankara. Shaped by an immigrant family background marked by experiences of displacement, she developed a profound empathy for families facing hardship and loss. Having entered the world as an unwanted child, she carries a deep compassion for orphans and vulnerable children, with a heartfelt desire for each one to know they are truly valued and loved.
With over seven years of experience as an executive assistant serving church organizations, Dilara has also cultivated a strong background in community service and children’s ministry. For many years, she has been committed to supporting vulnerable families and children with disabilities through Kardelen. Before stepping into her current leadership role overseeing her church’s children’s ministry, she served extensively as a kids’ ministry leader at camps and conferences. She studied art history at university, an experience that enriched her appreciation for creativity and beauty as reflections of God’s creation.
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Dilara is deeply passionate about seeing children and families experience dignity, hope, and love through both practical care and the transforming power of the Gospel. With a heart for the church and a vision for mercy ministries, she longs to see people flourish in health, education, and community as image-bearers of God. She is eager to bring fresh vision and leadership to Kardelen’s teams as they continue to serve children and families in Türkiye and beyond.
How Your Support Contributes to Kardelen's Mission
With your help, children’s lives are transformed by:
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Home visitations with our Mercy Teams
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Praying with families and ministering to their spiritual needs
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Handicap-accessible transportation to doctor and hospital appointments
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Training for the family in how to care for their child with special needs
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Social events, like birthday parties and picnics, where a community of families with special needs can overcome isolation and shame
Norita Erickson's Legacy
Founder of Kardelen Mercy Teams
“Children older than two years were tied into metal cribs too small for them. Children covered in vomit and feces. Children screaming and moaning in pain. Children left unattended and totally uncared for. Children who, according to the orphanage director, didn’t feel anything, ‘because they are handicapped.’”
- Ankara, Türkiye 1996, as documented in Norita’s book Cry Out.
The pungent stench of urine assaulted Norita’s senses even before she stepped into the dimly lit room at the state-run orphanage. The shocking scene appalled her.
“I saw children huddled together in freezing cold rooms, urine soaked pajamas and matchstick thin.” Norita remembered
Of the 400 children at the orphanage, most were disabled. A surprising 95% actually had families, but their mothers and fathers abandoned them due to economic hardship, despair or shame. Cultural and religious beliefs labeled the children as “cursed by God.” In spite of the dreadful conditions, the orphanage had a list of 3,000 families with children who had disabilities waiting to get in.
“You won’t see these people on the street unless they are gypsy beggars,” said Norita. To have a visible disability in Türkiye is considered by many to be shameful. It is estimated that 15-17% of the total population has a disability. With 84 million living in Türkiye, the numbers are daunting. “But never more so,” Norita continued, “than when you have looked in on the hellhole where they have been warehoused in conditions worse than farm animals.”
Norita was deeply grieved. Her glimpse into the lives of children with disabilities in Türkiye instilled a burning desire to bring change.
In prayer one night, Norita was overcome with a feeling of abject loneliness and desolation. “I began to sob. I hurt so much,” she said. “Then, in my mind’s eye, I saw the children in the wards, and it was as if I were feeling and experiencing what they felt. I became one of them. But soon I understood that God was speaking to me. These sobs, these cries, were birthed out of the broken heart of my Heavenly Father.”
After several minutes of deep crying, the desolate sensation passed. Norita had a vision. “I saw a large grassy area with trees and animals and smiling children sitting there.
There were adults there, too, whom I identified as parents and caregivers. All were sitting together in little groups enjoying the sunshine and the fresh breeze.”
“You are to do this,” Norita sensed God saying. “Nothing is impossible. Just trust me.” The Kardelen ministry was born.
Working together with a local church, her husband’s wheelchair production business, and volunteers from churches in America and Europe, Norita formed a team to serve the poorest and most rejected of society in Jesus’ name.
After years of serving in the state-run orphanage, in the mid-2000s Kardelen transitioned to begin serving families by supporting, training and equipping families to care for their children with disabilities directly in their homes. As Kardelen stepped away from working in the orphanage, it allowed them to begin breaking the stigma and shame of having a child with a disability in the home.
On January 26, 2014, Norita Joy Erickson, founder and director of Kardelen Mercy Teams, passed from this life to her heavenly home. Her passionate vision to provide loving care for children is a legacy that continues to this day.
Since 1998, compassionate support from friends like you has provided visitation, training, medicine, wheelchairs, relational support and love-filled social events for children with disabilities and their families. Kardelen’s “love in action” approach shares the love of Jesus Christ in practical ways that provide safety, comfort and in-home care to children in need.
