LocationsUNDP awards US$550,000 in “earthquake recovery grants” to 257 women entrepreneurs in hard-hit Kahramanmaraş province
August 4, 2023
Applications opened for broader US$5.2 million grants program covering all 11 earthquake-affected provinces
Kahramanmaraş, 4 August 2023 – Working in partnership with the Kahramanmaraş Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KMTSO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today awarded “earthquake recovery grants” worth a total of US$550,000 to 257 women-headed businesses in Kahramanmaraş, one of the provinces hardest-hit by the February earthquakes.
“By throwing a lifeline to women-led businesses, we aim not only to restore individual livelihoods but also to revive a community’s hope in a return to normal life,” said UNDP Resident Representative Louisa Vinton, speaking at an awards ceremony today at the Kahramanmaraş Commodity Exchange.
“We have all lost so much,” said KMTSO President Mustafa Buluntu. “We have lost people, we have lost homes and we have lost businesses. These grants cannot possibly compensate for our losses, but we hope they will serve as a catalyst for recovery, and that small successes will trigger larger ones.”
Vinton used the awards ceremony to announce the expansion of the UNDP small grants program to all 11 earthquake-affected provinces, increasing the total funding available to US$5.2 million thanks to a generous contribution from the Government of Sweden. Firms employing up to ten people are eligible to apply. Eligibility has been broadened to include both men and women entrepreneurs, with at least 30 percent of grants going to women-led businesses. The deadline for applications is 31 August 2023.
Allocation of grant funding by province
Province | Total Grant Amount (US$) |
Adana | 300,000 |
Adıyaman | 700,000 |
Diyarbakır | 300,000 |
Elazığ | 300,000 |
Gaziantep | 300,000 |
Hatay | 1,000,000 |
Kilis | 300,000 |
Malatya | 700,000 |
Osmaniye | 300,000 |
Şanlıurfa | 300,000 |
Kahramanmaraş | 700,000 (including US$550,000 already awarded) |
Total | 5,200,000 |
The expansion of the UNDP grants scheme comes in response to the overwhelming demand for funding in Kahramanmaraş. More than 820 applicants responded to the initial call on 13 June 2023; 508 of these met the basic criteria; 263 qualified for interviews; and 257 were awarded with grants ranging from a minimum of TRY35,000 (US$1,300) to a maximum of TRY200,000 (US$7,400).
Breakdown of grants awarded in Kahramanmaraş province
Number of recipients | Grant value (TRY) |
114 | 35,000 |
67 | 50,000 |
43 | 75,000 |
33 | 100,000-200,000 |
The successful applicants represent a wide range of sectors including small manufacturing companies, shop and restaurant owners, pharmacists, dentists, beauty centre owners and hairdressers, independent financial advisors, real estate agents, law offices and consultants.
One grantee, pediatrician Sercan Uysal Çetin, operated the only breast-feeding consultancy and clinic in the Kahramanmaraş region before the earthquake hit. Her employee died in the disaster, and her apartment and clinic, with all her equipment, were completely destroyed. She said the grant will allow her to purchase new equipment and restart a business that serves a unique function for the region.
The grant award ceremony in Kahramanmaras was just one stop on a four-day trip by UNDP’s Vinton, who is also visiting Adiyaman, Hatay, Malatya and Gaziantep to mark six months since the disaster.
As part of a broader UNDP earthquake response program funded by the UK, Vinton visited UNDP-supported vocational training programs in gastronomy, carpet design and foreign trade, as well as a women’s carpet-weaving cooperative in Besni where UNDP has funded earthquake-related repairs. She also delivered customized buses to Adiyaman and Kahramanmaraş for mobile care services for persons with disabilities and the elderly; a streetsweeper to Kahramanmaraş; and 110 galvanized dumpsters for solid waste to Kahramanmaraş and Malatya. The opening of two refurbished and re-equipped centers for the elderly and persons with disabilities as well as further deliveries of waste management equipment are scheduled for coming months.
In Malatya, Vinton will on 5 August announce the launch of a US$500,000 program funded by South Korea to expand services for persons with disabilities, including provision and repair of protheses, wheelchairs and other appliances and support to integration into employment and community life.
For more information:
Bora Akbay, Communications and Project Support Analyst, bora.akbay@undp.org
