Focusing on empowering women economically in earthquake-affected regions, INGEV’s Eleleyiz project continues to be a symbol of hope through its extensive fieldwork in Kahramanmaraş and Hatay. Observations in both cities reveal the determined efforts of women entrepreneurs and small businesses working to revive the local economy despite the devastating effects of the earthquake. While Hatay still bears the scars of the tragedy, Kahramanmaraş has made significant progress in overcoming the disaster’s impact through relentless work over the past 1.5 years.
In this challenging period, local shopkeepers in both cities are working tirelessly in roadside and container markets to keep the economy alive. Regardless of sector or business size, women entrepreneurs stand out as the most resilient figures in this recovery effort. Through the Eleleyiz project, INGEV sheds light on their inspiring stories, highlighting the challenges, resilience, and successes behind their determined efforts. By sharing the stories of two of these remarkable women, we aim to bring you closer to the courage and tenacity that fuels their contributions to the local economy:
- Pumpkin Dessert Producer (Hatay): Specializing in a unique pumpkin dessert prepared in lime water, this entrepreneur sourced pumpkins from local farmers, operated a small factory, and engaged in wholesale trade. Now, she is working to rebuild her business. Despite managing a considerable operation, she lacks financial knowledge and has irregular accounting services. She needs insights into revenue, cost structures, profit margins, pricing, and cash flow. Although she can apply for small grants like those from INGEV, she currently lacks the capacity to provide the necessary documentation for larger loans such as those from KOSGEB.
- Tarhana Producer (Kahramanmaraş): This entrepreneur sourced raw materials from local farmers to produce tarhana and chips for wholesalers, retailers, and consumers. Before the earthquake, they produced 500 kg daily, though current operations are at a reduced capacity. With strong demand, their goal is to double production capacity to pre-earthquake levels, yet they face scaling challenges in all areas of production. Despite running a large operation, they lack basic financial monitoring tools for tracking costs, revenues, profit margins, and cash flow.
Under the guidance of Renan Burduroğlu, these inspiring women entrepreneurs completed business development consulting, developed business plans with the support of the Eleleyiz project, and took concrete steps forward.
Eleleyiz further organized supplier and buyer events in Hatay and Kahramanmaraş across food, textiles, stationery, handicrafts, furniture, and cosmetics sectors, helping women entrepreneurs build new commercial connections. In supply chain meetings with national brands like Migros, g2m, Metro, and Coca-Cola, women entrepreneurs received valuable feedback to help them enter new markets and gained opportunities to expand their market share.
These events, a strong example of local collaboration, were organized in partnership with the Turkiye Local Humanitarian Forum in Hatay and the Kahramanmaraş Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KMTSO) and the TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Board in Kahramanmaraş. They achieved great success with the participation of local actors, serving as an inspiration for future efforts.
In the second half of November, the “Women Entrepreneurs in the Reconstruction Process” Conference will be held in Kahramanmaraş. This unique event brings together organizations like INGEV, KMTSO, SEDEFED, and EYODER to collaborate on impactful projects for women entrepreneurs in the region. The event will gather women entrepreneurs, economic actors, civil society, and academia to discuss the challenges and opportunities for women entrepreneurs in the reconstruction process. The aim is to evaluate progress so far and outline target areas for future initiatives.
The evaluations highlight the continued importance of access to finance and grants for women entrepreneurs. Financial literacy, record-keeping, branding capacity, and digital skills also emerge as critical areas for support. Collaboration with local and national actors to utilize resources effectively remains essential.
We hope that the networks of cooperation and solidarity we have established to empower vulnerable groups in earthquake regions will continue to grow hand in hand!