Business World Continues Support Following Earthquakes

Over the year following the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes, the business community continued its support for the disaster region. Following the earthquakes on 6 February 2023, the business community implemented numerous corporate social responsibility projects for the economic and social development of the region. Roche Turkey, in collaboration with Turkish Education Association, launched projects to provide academic, psychological, in-kind, social and educational support to 200 students affected by the earthquake over 8 years. Migros organized a workshop with the Turkish Women Entrepreneurs Association (KAGİDER) to understand the needs and expectations of women engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry in the earthquake region. The company, working in partnership with Turkish Education Volunteers Foundation, launched the Firefly Education Bus. Siemens joined Youthall's Youth Employment Campaign to support employment in the earthquake region. The company created a 'Digital Literacy Programme' with Community Volunteers Foundation.

Banks and holding companies did not abandon the earthquake region

The 'Science Generation Workshops' project was launched by Turkish Economic Bank and Petrol Ofisi Group. The project took place in 52 workshops between 6 May and 27 December 2023. ING Turkey, in collaboration with Habitat Association, launched the 'Business Life Orange Support Project'. Under this scope, a shared working space will be created at the Kahramanmaraş Orange Office to be opened in the ING Kahramanmaraş Operations and Call Center building for earthquake-affected entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs and students without a working office. A comprehensive 'Entrepreneurship Training Programme' will be developed to support women entrepreneurs. Garanti BBVA, in cooperation with Teacher Academy Foundation (ÖRAV), conducted teacher support visits for the continuity of quality education in the region. The bank provided internship opportunities to 160 university students from the earthquake region through its 'Together for the Future' internship programme. Kuwait Turkish Bank signed a protocol with the Directorate General of Foundations for the reconstruction of Adıyaman Grand Mosque, which suffered severe damage in the earthquake. Emlak Katılım Bank provided psychological support services through contracted psychologists for colleagues and families affected psychologically by the earthquake. It also sponsored the construction of 'Children's Villages Site' in Adıyaman. Through collaboration between Habitat Association and Sabancı Group companies Brisa, Kordsa, Temsa and Teknosa, the Sabancı Hatay Incubation Centre aimed to facilitate the return of citizens forced to leave the region, reintegrate young people and women into economic and social life, create new business opportunities, and integrate entrepreneurs in the region with the Turkish and global entrepreneurship ecosystem. Renaissance Holding, through cooperation with UNFPA, established safe spaces for women and girls in the container cities built by the holding. The holding, together with UNICEF, designed the container cities to be women, child and youth-friendly. Through a project implemented with KODA, it aimed to enable children in rural neighborhoods and villages most affected by the earthquake to return to school as soon as possible and receive both academic and psychological support in collaboration with families. Boyner Group supported the region and women through the Turkish Women's Associations Federation's Purple Settlement project. It facilitated the implementation of 11 Purple Settlements. The company also organized a campaign with the messages 'If Women Recover, the World Changes' and 'Let's Recover Together' on International Women's Day on 8 March. Boyner's 'Good Business Project' now includes women from the earthquake region this year. In the seventh training period of the 'Good Business: Women Entrepreneurs Empowerment Programme in Food and Non-Electronics Retail' which has been ongoing for the last 5 years in cooperation with KAGİDER, women entrepreneurs and cooperatives from the earthquake region became an important part of the project, with 20 of 43 entrepreneurs participating from the earthquake region. Eczacıbaşı established Mother Child Health units in Hatay, Adıyaman, Kahramanmaraş and Malatya in cooperation with the Ministry of Health. Eczacıbaşı, to ensure that children and young people's education was not interrupted, inaugurated Eczacıbaşı TEV Primary School in Adıyaman and began providing Dr. Nejat F. Eczacıbaşı Undergraduate scholarship support to 400 women students from the earthquake region until they complete their undergraduate education. Kale Group created 5 kindergarten containers and playgrounds in the earthquake region on Women's Day and Mother's Day. The group organized workshops for over 100 earthquake-affected children at the 'Value Every Child' event held in Hatay on 23 April National Sovereignty and Children's Day. Kale Group launched the 'Community Support Programme' under the İbrahim Bodur Social Entrepreneurship Programme. The group opened a vocational training and development course in 'Ceramic Floor and Wall Tile Installation' on Father's Day.

E-commerce companies did not forget the disaster region

Trendyol implemented the 'Let Your Order Be Hope' programme, which brought together sellers in the disaster region under one roof, collecting products from local business partners able to continue their operations in the region. The company opened digital support cards for NGOs. Through these cards, over TRY 200 million in support was provided to NGOs. Hatay was added to the 'Tomorrow's Villages' project launched by Trendyol in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support rural development. The company became the official sponsor of Atakaş Hatayspor, which returned to the Trendyol Super League in the 2023-2024 season, through Trendyol Food. Amazon established the 'Smiling Dreams Community House' in Hatay Serinyol in October 2023, in cooperation with NGO partner 'Be Part of My Dream', to support children and young people in the region achieve their dreams. The company began providing a range of STEM education, therapy and psychosocial support. The project aims to reach 1,500 people in one year. Sabancı Foundation, as main supporter, opened the Teacher Solidarity Area in Hatay under the coordination of Teacher Network. The Foundation's 'Young Women Building Their Future Project Grant Programme' was opened to the disaster region in addition to pilot provinces. CarrefourSA implemented the 'Direct Support to Production Project' to support local producers in the earthquake region and the sustainability of production. Under this scope, it connected over 535 tons of products with customers throughout the year. MediaMarkt implemented the 'Better Through Education' project with Turkish Education Volunteers Foundation (TEGV). Under this project, it donated 4 fully equipped Firefly education buses to TEGV, one 'Dream Explorer', one 'Science', and two 'Information Technology and Design Inventors'. P&G Turkey launched the Hope House Project in the earthquake region. Source