- outline
Conference Title: Seminar on Supporting Women Entrepreneurs in Disaster-Affected Areas of Turkey
Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Organized by JICA and Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organization of Türkiye (KOSGEB)
Location: Kahramanmaraş Province, Republic of Turkey
- main participants
(1) Speakers
Megumi Ishimoto (NPO Women’s Eye)
Ms. Çiğdem KIRAL (Women Entrepreneurs Association KAGİD)
Betül Zabun KENGER, TOBB Kahramanmaras Women Entrepreneurs Board
(2) Moderator
Sayaka Watanabe (Nagano Prefectural University)
(3) Panelists
Mr. Ali Abukumail, World Bank
Megumi Ishimoto (NPO Women’s Eye)
Ms. Melik Sibel Çetinkaya (Kahramanmaraş Women Entrepreneur Center (KIGEM))
Ms. Çiğdem KIRAL (Women Entrepreneurs Association KAGİD)
Daisuke Watanabe (JICA Turkey Office)
Participants: KOSGEB officials, organizations supporting women entrepreneurs in the affected areas in Turkey (chambers of commerce, NPOs, etc.), women entrepreneurs in the affected areas, World Bank, UNDP
- background and objectives
In February 2023, a massive earthquake hit southeastern Turkey with its epicenter in the region, causing devastating damage to the region. The Government of Turkey implemented a yen loan “Post-disaster Support Project for Small and Medium Enterprises” to provide liquidity to the affected small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to resume and continue their business (the loan agreement was signed on December 22, 2023). Under the Project, at least 10% of the beneficiaries will be women entrepreneurs.
When the earthquake strikes, women entrepreneurs are said to face not only difficulties in continuing their businesses due to loss or damage to buildings and facilities at their offices and other locations due to the earthquake or a decrease in sales, but also gender-related difficulties such as balancing housework and business, which tend to increase after the earthquake. On the other hand, only limited surveys have been conducted in the affected areas of Turkey to ascertain the current situation and needs of women entrepreneurs in the affected areas after the earthquake.
Against this background, this seminar was held to share the results of the field survey conducted by JICA in November 2024 and the questionnaire survey of women entrepreneurs in the affected areas conducted jointly with KOSGEB (Ref.1), and to discuss how support should be provided. In addition, a seminar was held with two experts from Japan to discuss how to support women entrepreneurs in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.
- seminar overview
At this seminar, Ms. Megumi Ishimoto, Representative Director of Women’s Eye, an NPO working to empower women and communities affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, explained that supporting women entrepreneurs will not only help them expand their businesses but also promote women’s political and economic participation (Ref. 2). She explained that supporting women entrepreneurs will not only expand their businesses, but also promote women’s political and economic participation (Ref. 2). The participating women entrepreneurs from Turkey commented that they were impressed by the stories of Japanese women entrepreneurs who had experienced a similar disaster and were making powerful contributions to the reconstruction of their communities.
In the latter half of the seminar, Ms. Sayaka Watanabe, who has experience starting her own business after the Great East Japan Earthquake and has long been engaged in building a network of women entrepreneurs in Asia, moderated a panel discussion with the participation of JICA, Women’s Eye, a women entrepreneurs’ association working in the affected areas of Turkey, a women’s entrepreneur support center recently established in the affected area of Kahramanmaraş, and the World Bank, which supports small and medium-sized micro businesses in the affected areas. The panel discussion was moderated by Ms. Watanabe, who has been engaged in building a network of women entrepreneurs in Asia for a long time. During the panel discussion, the panelists shared their experiences in supporting women entrepreneurs to address the challenges they face, such as difficulties in accessing financial services and lack of networking and training opportunities. They also pointed out the importance of providing networking opportunities and building a community among women entrepreneurs where they can gather and share not only their successes but also their failures and challenges. Furthermore, in the disaster-affected areas where support for women entrepreneurs is concentrated, it was discussed that support organizations should share information with each other to avoid duplication of support and to deepen cooperation.
By sharing the experience of supporting women entrepreneurs after the Great East Japan Earthquake and by highlighting the activities of women entrepreneurs in the affected areas in Turkey, this seminar not only empowered the women entrepreneurs themselves who have continued their businesses despite the difficulties they have faced in the affected areas, but also provided an opportunity for all concerned to widely recognize the economic and social significance of supporting women entrepreneurs. It also served as an opportunity for all concerned to widely recognize the economic and social significance of supporting women entrepreneurs.
JICA will continue to support small, medium and micro enterprises run by women in the country.
Group photo of award-winning female entrepreneurs from the disaster-affected areas and related parties
Award-winning female entrepreneurs from the disaster-affected areas and Daisuke Watanabe, Director of JICA’s Turkey Office
Women’s Eye A scene from Megumi Ishimoto’s lecture
Panel Discussion
© Source JICA
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