We support women’s access to income in Hatay

Following the February 6 earthquake in Kahramanmaraş, which affected 11 provinces, MaviKalem began disaster response activities in Hatay on February 25.

We have conducted and are conducting our work in effective communication with women disaster survivors. We take care to approach problems and needs from a woman’s perspective. This approach always makes the needs that are in the background or missing visible.

The first response to the initial impact of the earthquake was to support basic needs. From shelter to food, clean water to clothing, we have been a part of supporting basic needs.

Restoring life routines, re-establishing daily life, reorganizing education, sports, shopping and income generating activities are a very important part of recovery.

In this period, among other activities, MaviKalem aims to support women’s income-generating activities.

In disasters, women, whose workload increases and who are largely responsible for providing basic needs and the infrastructure of the family, tend to take more responsibility.  After the February 6 earthquake, women experienced a similar process.

Women who did not have an income-generating job before the earthquake or who did so to help their husbands/families are now taking initiatives according to their own skills and trying to create income-generating jobs. We see women trying to establish their businesses in makeshift conditions.

The “Women Access to Income” project aims to support women who had an income-generating job before the earthquake, who work in the family business to support their families, or who want to start a new business. It supports women who want to start an income-generating business in the new situation caused by the disaster or who have difficulties to move forward.

In the first phase of the project, 50 women in Hatay will be supported with tools and materials to start or improve their income-generating businesses.

Our project is limited to Hatay province for now, because knowing our limits and capabilities, working in Hatay province since February 6th, knowing the needs and the field, being a person from the field strengthens us. When we reach other resources, we will have the chance to extend this work to other provinces affected by the disaster.

Women must apply with an e-mail to benefit from this project.

Applications can be made between August 7-31 by sending a self-introductory letter to hatayofis@mavikalem.org. In the letter, we expect the women to describe who they are and what kind of work they plan to do, along with their contact information.

The applications will be reviewed against the project’s evaluation criteria and the women will be contacted and interviewed face-to-face.  The selection will be in two stages and the women selected in the pre-selection will be subjected to a final evaluation.

Informative meetings are planned for women participating in the project on topics such as effective communication, cooperative organization, product marketing and waste management.

Those who receive support from the project will be monitored for 2 months and counseling support will be provided when necessary.