In the words of Zarif Sönmez Arslan: “We Thought We Were Forgotten”

In the district of Samandağ in Hatay, the Samandağ Women's Cooperative was established to make women's labor visible and create employment opportunities for women. However, the cooperative was completely destroyed when the earthquakes struck Southeastern Türkiye on February 6th.  Zarif Sönmez Arslan, who began her career as a banker, decided to continue her journey by joining the cooperative, founded in 2019 by seven partners, as a production manager in 2020. She describes the aftermath of the disaster with these words:

“The cooperative was entirely demolished in the February 6 earthquakes. Due to housing issues, many women had to temporarily migrate to other cities. The city’s infrastructure, including electricity, water, and internet, was severely disrupted, making it impossible for the cooperative to resume its operations.

Due to the losses and housing issues, none of the cooperative members remained, so we came together with women staying in tents and joined forces. As women, we are very eager to produce, but we had concerns about finding buyers for our products. At this point, being part of the "Women's Labor, Foundation of the Future Support Box," implemented in collaboration with UN Women, KAGİDER, and Hepsiburada, provided us with both support and motivation. We contributed with our pomegranate sauce production and had the opportunity to sell our other products through Hepsiburada. Thanks to this support, we were able to purchase more raw materials from local farmers and provide employment for many women. Projects like these give us hope.

Returning to our previous way of life here seemed nearly impossible. We couldn’t reopen our website. Establishing agreements with cargo companies, ensuring the sustainability of our operations, and maintaining steady orders felt like a distant dream. We thought we were forgotten; we thought our lives had come to an end. The support we received lifted us back up and gave us immense hope. We are now not only a cooperative with 25 partners, but we also value the labor of many specialized women. Most of them are housewives who had never worked before, women who have been crafting beautiful products in their homes for years without earning any income. After the earthquake, the healing power of collective production has been a great source of motivation for all of us.”

After the disaster, women's solidarity stories have not only helped them rebuild their own lives but have also transformed their surroundings. Collective production allows women to stand on their feet both economically and socially. UN Women aims to ensure all women achieve income security, decent work, economic empowerment, and autonomy. Because we believe: women’s labor is the foundation of the future!--

Zarif Sönmez Arslan attended the training programs conducted in collaboration with UN Women, KAGİDER, and Hepsiburada, together with the members of Samandağ Women's Cooperative, in 2023. These programs were organized within the scope of the “Enhancing Women's Leadership and Gender Equality in Politics and Business Life” project, funded by Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.