EU supports women’s workforce project in Eskişehir

Cansu Tunç

In 2023, Tepebaşı Municipality made headlines with the EU Inclusive Vocational Training Project: V.I.N.E, and now they have launched another project aimed at increasing women’s participation in the workforce.

The introductory meeting for the “Narçiçeği Bears Fruit” project, which is prepared to increase women’s participation in the workforce and financed by the European Union, was held on May 4 at the Erol Büyükmeriç Guesthouse in Tekeciler District. The project is a collaboration between Tepebaşı Municipality, the Foundation for the Support of Women’s Work (KEDV), Eskişehir Narçiçeği Women’s Environmental Culture and Business Cooperative, and Simurg Women’sCooperatives.

Narçiçeği Bears Fruit Project Begins

Speaking at the introductory meeting, Güler Yalçın, President of the Narçiçeği Women’s Cooperative, stated that the project is financed by the European Union and aims to support women producers and enable them to achieve economic independence. She added that during the training sessions throughout May, blackberry saplings would be distributed to enable women to start production.

Tepebaşı Municipality’s Director of Foreign Relations, İnci Çalışkan, explained the project’s purpose and content: “The goal of the project in Eskişehir is to empower women who produce individually in rural areas by enhancing their capacities in innovative production, cooperatives, and advocacy. This will enable them to engage in active and organized production and take an active role in relevant decision-making processes. At our introductory meeting, women from Hekimdağ, Kızılinler, and Tekeciler, who are part of our target group, attended, and we introduced our project and the training. The initial target audience of sixty people increased due to heightened interest during the meeting. The second activity, which includes the training, was held in Tekeciler village, bringing women from Hekimdağ and Kızılinler for nine separate training sessions.”

Increase in Target Audience After the Introductory Meeting

Çalışkan mentioned that the project, spanning two and a half months, is planned to end on June 12-13. She highlighted that the third activity of the project will be a technical trip to the Bursa Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry Kestel Chamber of Agriculture with the trained women to observe and share experiences on-site.

Güler Yalçın, President of the Narçiçeği Women’s Cooperative and coordinator of the Narçiçeği Bears Fruit project, said:“After retiring as a faculty member in Analytical Chemistry at Marmara University, I moved to Eskişehir, believing it would best meet my goals and expectations from life. This project was obtained from the European Union through the applications of KEDV and Simurg, and we are the sub-users of the project. KEDV and Simurg stated that they would support about 30 cooperatives under the project, and with the involvement of Tepebaşı Municipality’s stakeholders, we won the grant. After being selected from over a hundred applications, we have worked intensively with Ms. İnci’s teamand my team to bring the project to this point.”

Tepebaşı Municipality Continues to Support Women

Yalçın also noted that this project provides a network area for establishing a sales and cooperatives union. She emphasized that the main idea of the project is the education of women and that creating a network of cooperatives for this education is the most beneficial option for everyone. She added that one of the six activities of the project would be production, taking advantage of the rich flora of the region.

On Friday, May 17, Nurse Dilara Kartal gave the Women’s Health Training, Agricultural Engineer Muazzez Günay provided the Blackberry and Raspberry Cultivation Training, and İnci Çalışkan presented the Gender Equality Training. On Friday, May 18, Dr. Nihal Can Ağırbaş delivered the Cooperative Training, and Prof. Dr. Özgül Birsen offered the Effective Communication Techniques Training and Assoc. Dr. Aynur Soydan Erdemir covered the final training on Women’s Rights. After the training, which ended with high participation from women of Tekeciler, Hekimdağ, and Kızılinler, Güler Yalçın, President of the Narçiçeği Women’s Cooperative, presented certificates of appreciation to the trainers.