WOMEN'S COOPERATİVES CONSULTATİON MEETİNG HELD AT ETO

The TOBB Eskişehir Provincial Women Entrepreneurs Board held a consultation meeting at the Eskişehir Chamber of Commerce (ETO) to discuss the development and challenges of women’s cooperatives, with participation from local institutions and organizations.

The meeting, held in ETO’s Assembly Hall, was attended by Eskişehir Trade Director Cemil Kürkçü, TOBB Eskişehir Provincial Women Entrepreneurs Board Executive Committee Chair Elif Gürkaynak, Büyükşehir Municipality Budget Affairs Branch Director Ahmet Şan, Halkbank TEKSAN Branch Director Ulaş İper Baydar, and representatives from various women’s cooperatives including Hünerli Ev Kadınları, Her Ev Bir Atölye, Narçiçeği Women’s Cooperative, Hanımelleri Women’s Cooperative, Sarıcakaya Women’s Cooperative, Turuncu Women’s Cooperative, and Sivrihisar Asma Yaprağı Cooperative.

"Women are Stronger Together"

Elif Gürkaynak, Chair of the TOBB Eskişehir Provincial Women Entrepreneurs Board Executive Committee, emphasized the importance of entrepreneurship for Turkey and Eskişehir’s prosperity. Gürkaynak expressed her gratitude to the officials present, stating, “Following the COVID-19 period, we wanted to connect our women’s cooperatives with authorities to quickly address challenges, expand sales channels, and improve access to financing.”

"We Stand by Eskişehir’s Producers"

Trade Director Cemil Kürkçü shared that since 2020, programs have been in place to support the spread of women’s cooperatives, increase female employment, and empower women entrepreneurs. He noted that eight cooperatives in Eskişehir benefited from the KOOP-DES Grant Program in collaboration with the TOBB Eskişehir Women Entrepreneurs Board, with hopes to increase this number in the future.

Special Support for Eskişehir Cooperatives from Halkbank

Halkbank Branch Director Ulaş İper Baydar presented on the bank’s support for women entrepreneurs, including the recently established Women Entrepreneurs Department, which has supported 36,000 women with 3.3 billion TL through the Women Entrepreneur Loan Program. He also highlighted the Women’s Cooperatives Support Package and the program for endangered professions, affirming Halkbank’s commitment to Eskişehir entrepreneurs.

Support from the Metropolitan Municipality

Ahmet Şan, representing the Metropolitan Municipality, noted their satisfaction in working with cooperatives, connecting cooperative products to consumers through Producer Markets. Şan encouraged Eskişehir’s cooperatives to leverage these markets to showcase high-quality local products and pledged continued support for women’s cooperatives in the city.

The meeting addressed challenges faced by cooperatives, with discussions centering around securing raw materials, promoting products, and expanding into e-commerce. The women’s cooperatives expressed strong support for the initiatives by the TOBB Eskişehir Women Entrepreneurs Board, recognizing the positive impact of this cooperative-focused effort.