We are excited to announce the grantees of our Regional Recovery Support Program II, launched under our Kahramanmaras Earthquake Emergency Relief Fund.
The 2nd phase of our program, initiated alongside our partner the Support Foundation for Civil Society (Sivil Toplum için Destek Vakfı – STDV), will support civil society organisations (CSOs) in mitigating the effects of the earthquakes and improving the well-being of survivors. Projects will address long-term needs in areas such as children’s rights, gender equality, and culture & arts.
Today we’re thrilled to announce that, thanks to the support of our donors, and jointly with other contributors, we are providing £527,668 to 11 civil society organisations. The open call received 105 applications from 24 provinces across Türkiye. We thank all the applicants and all the organisations working tirelessly to address the ongoing needs on the ground.
This brings the total amount of grants awarded by our Kahramanmaras Earthquake Emergency Relief Fund to over £3.7 million.
Regional Recovery Support Program II was made possible thanks to the individual and corporate donors of our Kahramanmaras Earthquake Emergency Relief Fund with valuable contributions from Sounds of Solidarity, Christie’s in cooperation with the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (Istanbul Kültür Sanat Vakfı – IKSV) and Cradle of Food International Food Conference and Fundraiser. We are grateful for their support, which has enabled us to extend the reach of our program.
Please see below for information on the grantees and their projects:
Defne Women’s Initiative Production and Business Cooperative (Defne Kadın Girişimi Üretim ve İşletme Kooperatifi) – £48,099 (Realised through the contribution of the Cradle of Food International Food Conference and Fundraiser)
The cooperative was one of the grantees of the 1st phase of our Regional Recovery Support Program, which started the renovation of the cooperative’s badly damaged building. With this grant, the cooperative will support women’s economic empowerment in Hatay by continuing and completing the renovations, building the capacity of cooperative members and producers through three different engaging trainings and expert support, reaching 100 women, to develop and produce better products. The cooperative also plans to purchase 10 tonnes of tomatoes and 5 tonnes of peppers for production and aims to produce 640 kg of dried tomatoes, 5000 jars of tomato sauce and 450 kg of pepper paste.
Tomurcuk Association (Tomurcuk Derneği) – £48,498
The association will support the well-being of 120 children living in the Serinyol neighbourhood of Antakya, Hatay by creating safe spaces for them to interact with their peers and organising empowering awareness workshops for children. With the support of the Women’s Solidarity Foundation, the association will also reach out to 150 women through workshops on gender equality, women’s and children’s rights, and supportive parenting, as well as individual sessions on other areas of need.
Ideas and Arts Workshop Association Children’s Rights Centre (Fikir ve Sanat Atölyesi Çocuk Hakları Merkezi – FISA) – £48,615
Being one of the grantees of the program’s 1st phase, FISA ran extensive individual and group psychosocial first aid programmes for children and their caregivers living in container homes in Adıyaman. With this grant, FISA will continue these efforts by reaching new groups of 250 children and 300 caregivers, training 100 teachers and 20 young people in working with children, and training 40 representatives of civil society organisations in monitoring and reporting. The association will also monitor children’s rights and share a comprehensive report with stakeholders.
Cultural Awareness Foundation (Kültür Bilincini Geliştirme Vakfı) – £48,172 (Realised through the contribution of Christie’s in partnership with IKSV)
The foundation will support the well-being of survivors in Malatya through culture & arts, raise awareness of cultural assets, and contribute to the production of cultural heritage. Targeting children and young people aged 10-24, the foundation will run 18 art workshops for 150 participants, 48 cultural awareness training programs for 400 participants, and 24 art therapy sessions for 96 participants. To ensure the sustainability of the project, a culture & arts platform will be established with the participation of 10 local CSOs.
Collective Research Institute – CORE (Kolektif Araştırmalar Derneği) – £47,598
Through this project, CORE aims to ensure that the needs of women and children, who are more vulnerable to disasters, are met in a more coordinated way during and after possible earthquakes, and to understand and contribute to efforts to address the ongoing needs following the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes. To this end, data will be collected in Adıyaman and Hatay, experiences will be recorded through interviews with women and children and service providers, meetings will be held with CSOs and workshops will be organised. The results of the project will be disseminated through social media, podcasts, meetings with journalists and a workshop in cooperation with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and the Istanbul Policy Research Centre.
Hatay Symphony Orchestra Culture and Art Association (Hatay Senfoni Orkestrası Kültür ve Sanat Derneği) – £48,542
To promote access to culture and the arts in Hatay, the association will reach out to 100 musicians affected by the earthquakes, invite them to join the orchestra and develop their skills through a 3-month training programme. Artists from the Ankara and Izmir State Opera and Ballet will attend and support the rehearsals, and the orchestra members will be supported by masterclass workshops with experienced musicians. Concerts will be held twice a month in the container cities, with the aim of introducing the repertoire to 20,000 people.
Architecture for All Association (Herkes için Mimarlık Derneği – HiM) – £48,614 (Realised through the contribution of Christie’s in partnership with IKSV)
HiM will work in collaboration with the Architecture Sans Frontières UK and the Hatay Earthquake Solidarity network for the effective restoration and regeneration of Antakya, Hatay, actively involving all stakeholders, including the local community, at every stage. A community meeting place will be built for the residents of the Çekmece neighbourhood in the Defne district of Hatay, and a community action plan will be developed outlining principles and options for rebuilding the neighbourhood and protecting its living heritage.
Talebeyiz Biz Association (Talebeyiz Biz Derneği) – £48,533
The association will increase young people’s capacity to cope with traumatic experiences by fostering access to and active engagement in culture and arts through sustainable initiatives in Hatay. In partnership with local stakeholders, including the Füsun Sayek Association and the Ali Ismail Korkmaz Foundation (ALIKEV), the project will involve the creation of a cultural heritage space in Arsuz. This space will be designed with direct input from youth, and all activities will be curated and orchestrated by our “Young Art Ambassadors.”
Roma Memory Studies Association (Roman Hafıza Çalışmaları Derneği – Romani Godi) – £48,469 (Realised through the contribution of the Sounds of Solidarity)
Romani Godi will strengthen the ability of Roma, Dom, and Abdal women living in the earthquake-affected areas to take legal action against rights violations by reaching out to at least 100 women through awareness-raising workshops. The association will also improve the capacity of other Roma associations in Gaziantep and Hatay through extensive training, mentoring, and workshops on gender equality, women’s rights, and justice mechanisms, and by bringing them together with the bar associations and women’s CSOs actively working in the field for establishing long-term collaboration.
Istanbul Mor Dayanışma Association (İstanbul Mor Dayanışma Derneği) – £45,503 (Realised through the contribution of the Sounds of Solidarity)
The association will provide psychosocial and legal support to 300 women in Antakya, Hatay. The association will reach out to a further 400 women through awareness-raising workshops, house meetings on women’s rights, and art workshops to reduce the effects of trauma caused by the earthquakes.
Human Health and Education Foundation (İnsan Sağlığı ve Eğitim Vakfı – INSEV) – £47,025 (Realised through the contribution of the Sounds of Solidarity)
As one of the beneficiaries of the program’s 1st phase, INSEV has been supporting children and adults in Hatay through its mobile team. With this grant, INSEV will provide psychosocial counselling and workshops to 300 children in the Defne and Antakya districts of Hatay who are struggling to cope with the negative effects of the earthquakes due to a lack of access to support mechanisms and who are experiencing behavioural problems. This grant support is realised with the contribution of the Sounds of Solidarity.
The 1st phase of the Regional Recovery Support Program supported 19 local CSOs in 14 cities across Türkiye with grants of over £1,6 million, focusing on livelihood restoration, access to healthcare and education, and specialised support for women, youth, and children, as well as addressing ongoing basic needs in earthquake-affected areas.
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