As the Light Rises, Time for Rebirth
Social Entrepreneurship, Empowerment and Cohesion Project Notes || December, 2024
New Year, Time for Renewal
After the darkest night on December 21, the days begin to lengthen. The Winter Solstice is recognized as a symbol of the transition from darkness to light, of renewal and rebirth. In the past, this event was celebrated as a time of spiritual renewal and social solidarity.
For us, after a year of projects that strengthened social cohesion and solidarity in 2024, it is time to focus on the new year and new beginnings.
What is in the Harvest of 2024?
In 2024, we witnessed many challenges in our country and in the world. Accepting the difficulties in the region where we carry out our project, we turned our faces to people full of resilience and hope, our social heroes, and guided them.
We have compiled the SEECO Project's 2024 harvest under 6 headings;
As we are approaching the end of the grant programs, contracts were signed with 1511 beneficiaries.
In 7 cities, 11 Social Entrepreneurship Centers and 7 Livelihood Facilities became operational.
Throughout the year, we monitored and evaluated the progress of the project step by step with all our project stakeholders.
Many activities such as focus group discussions, theatre, storytelling workshop, children's concert, etc. were organized to increase interaction with beneficiaries.
We organized various ecosystem meetings to discuss innovative impact financing structures for social entrepreneurship in Turkey.
We established collaborations between local producers and the private sector to support and promote social procurement.
We Are Close to the End of the Grant Programs
Within the scope of the Grant Program, contracts were signed with 1511 beneficiaries who successfully completed the application, training, mentor support, business plan preparation with mentor support, committee evaluation, contract signing and procurement processes, and 1337 beneficiaries purchased machinery and equipment.
Launch of Social Entrepreneurship Centers and Livelihood Facilities
In April, 205 applications to our Call for Project Proposals to public institutions and organizations were evaluated and contracts were signed for 92 facilities. The first steps were taken for centers that both teach and produce in many fields from gastronomy to software, from packaging to digital media.
Within the scope of projects focusing on social entrepreneurship and economic development, 11 social entrepreneurship centers and 7 livelihood facilities started operations in Gaziantep, Diyarbakır, Hatay, Şanlıurfa, Adana, Mersin, Kahramanmaraş.
By the end of the year, 76 more facilities with signed contracts are expected to be operational.
Meetings with Project Stakeholders
Throughout the year, coordination meetings were held with Development Agencies, SEECO Project Implementation Unit, the World Bank and the EU Delegation to Turkey to evaluate the progress of the project step by step.
Events with Beneficiaries
During the project period, the establishment of various facilities and interaction with beneficiaries continued.
In February, consultation, information and needs assessment activities on the establishment of Livelihoods Facilities and Social Entrepreneurship Centers in Mardin began. Focus group meetings were organized in Midyat, Mazıdağı, Dargeçit, Derik, Ömerli and Savur districts.
In May, a workshop was held at the Tarsus Gastronomy Center to introduce local dishes and products with geographical indications as part of the Turkish Cuisine Week.
The Social Entrepreneurship Center in Nurdağı, Gaziantep, serves as a social interaction space for children, and a “Cloud Play” theatre was organized with 200 children during the mid-term break.
In August, a Storytelling Workshop was organized with beneficiaries in Islahiye, where they worked on how to storytell the obstacles and successes they faced in their entrepreneurial journey.
Entrepreneur's Journey Storytelling Workshop, Gaziantep At the centers in Islahiye and Nurdağı, meetings with music and stories were organized for children.
In order to support women's employment, sewing kits were presented to women who received training in the textile workshop at Şahinbey Social Entrepreneurship Center in August. This project aims to help women gain economic independence and contribute to their personal development.
Ecosystem Meetings and Impact Investment
As SEECO Project, we organized several ecosystem meetups to discuss innovative impact financing structures for social entrepreneurship in Turkey, bringing together different stakeholders such as investment offices, funds, family offices, foundations, public institutions, Development Agencies and accelerators.
We participated in the Anadoludakiler Project Exhibition and Promotion Program, supported under the auspices of Mrs. Emine Erdoğan, which promotes culture-driven development in Anatolia and aims to create new entrepreneurship opportunities for artisans and producers.
Anadoludakiler Program supports a culture-driven development movement in Anatolia. At the EYDK Impact Investing Summit held at Boğaziçi University in May, our Project Country Director Ahmet Şimşek participated in the panel “Telling Impact: Stories of Early Impact Investments in Turkey” panel.
In November, we came together with university students in Çanakkale at Kale Group's “Value to Life University Meetings” event. Our Project Coordinator Hande Kara participated in a session titled “Collaboration is the Key to Solutions in the New Paradigm: Collaboration”, where she talked about social entrepreneurship and the importance of creating joint solutions to crises.
Value to Life University Meetings The Impact Investing for Local Development training program, which we organized at Ankara CoZone in December, provided the opportunity to discuss innovative ideas for local development through theoretical and practical work on impact investing and social entrepreneurship. This event aims to contribute to the establishment of sustainable collaborations between the public and private sectors.
Impact Investment for Local Development Program
Social Procurement and Private Sector Collaborations
With the “Adding Value Comes from Our Hands” Project, cimems produced with Hatay-specific wheat stalk knitting were transformed into bags. Within the scope of the project carried out with HAZEK Cooperative, 350 women/families were employed and given natural plant knitting courses, creating economic opportunities for women with traditional production after the earthquake.
In Altınözü, Hatay, an industrial kitchen was installed under the roof of HAZEK Cooperative with the support of SEECO and the cooperative capacity was strengthened.
The textile workshop established in Islahiye, Gaziantep, contributes to economic recovery by creating employment in the earthquake zone. With the first order, 50 thousand surgical gowns were exported to the UK.
In the textile workshop established in Hatay Kırıkhan, women affected by the earthquake are gaining social and economic empowerment by producing products such as cloth bags and laptop covers.
With its Social Procurement Approach, the SEECO Project supports the creation of links between local producers and the private sector.
Promotion Show Fair (September): 7,000 corporate buyers met with entrepreneurs, orders were taken, supply networks were expanded.
Beneficiary Catalog (October): The products of entrepreneurs focusing on souvenirs and promotional products are cataloged.
Open Bench Christmas Design Market (December): Entrepreneurs from Adana, Hatay, Gaziantep and other cities exhibited their products and organized workshops.
Open Bench Christmas Design Market
An Inspired Start to the New Year
In the new year, SEECO Project has prepared a special Journal for our valued stakeholders and entrepreneurs. This journal contains inspirational messages and motivational notes to accompany you on your entrepreneurial and professional journey.
We hope that the Journal, which you can use at any time of the year, will accompany you as you reap the harvest of the past year and dream for the coming year.
If you would like Journal to accompany you on your journey, you can follow our LinkedIn and YouTube accounts and fill out the form. You may be one of the 100 people we will give the journal as a gift.
Every End is a New Beginning
2024 was a year marked by solidarity and social transformation. Together, we overcame challenges, implemented innovations and worked for social good. In the new year, we are full of excitement to build on these joint efforts.
With our dreams in front of us, we continue our creative struggle and work in 2025, focusing not on why it cannot be, but on how it can be.