The cooperatives and initiatives formed by women are breathing new life into Antakya, Turkey which was devastated by the February 6th earthquake. Working and producing in solidarity is also transforming the lives of women. The video-news is prepared by Hatay-based female journalist Burcu Özkaya with the editorial oversight of Banu Güven.
In the earthquakes that struck on February 6th, Antakya suffered near-total destruction, with thousands of lives lost. Now, the city is making determined efforts to rebuild, both economically and psychologically, led by women’s cooperatives and initiatives.
Following the earthquake, various cooperatives in Antakya have emerged. Some are engaged in the production and distribution of tandoori and float bread. Others focus on making and selling traditional Antakya products like pomegranate molasses and tomato paste. There are also those working as tailors and participating in the production of wooden houses for earthquake victims. Women who contribute to these efforts with a sense of solidarity find satisfaction in the added value they create and even briefly forget the pain of the earthquake while working.
Kırkyama Sewing Workshop
In the aftermath of the earthquake, the Patchwork Sewing Workshop was founded a few months later. It began by offering sewing machine lessons and instruction on cutting and tailoring to local women. Using donated fabrics from volunteers, these women first crafted clothing for themselves and then started taking custom orders.
The Patchwork Sewing Workshop is eager to expand its reach to more women. They showcase their creations on Instagram, sharing their products through the @antakya_dikisatolyesi account.
Yuva Project
The Yuva Project is another cooperative established in the wake of the earthquake. This cooperative is dedicated to constructing environmentally friendly wooden homes for earthquake survivors, and all of its members are survivors themselves. Within this workshop, women not only excel at building homes for earthquake victims but also demonstrate expertise in various carpentry tasks traditionally categorized as “men’s work.”
One significant challenge faced by the Yuva Project is their inability to directly provide the homes they create to earthquake survivors due to AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Authority) regulations. However, these Yuva homes can be purchased by those interested in contributing and then delivered to earthquake survivors. The Yuva team warmly welcomes those who want to support both earthquake survivors and their workshop through yuvaproject.org.
Dünya Evimiz (Our World Home)
Dünya Evimiz Association, based in Ankara, is engaged in the production of traditional tandoori and float bread in Antakya to meet the needs of earthquake survivors and empower women affected by the earthquake.
Through a dedicated campaign, the association, with the support of generous donors, has restored and built new tandooris in the neighborhoods of Samandağ-Tavla, Samandağ-Uzunbağ, and Harbiye-Karyer. In each tandoori, three earthquake survivor women work diligently. The bread they produce is distributed to families facing food accessibility challenges. The cooperative’s ultimate objective is to boost female employment by selling their regional bread to other cities, factories, and businesses. To place bread orders or contribute to the construction of new tandooris, you can follow their Instagram account @dunya_evimiz.
