More than 100 women-led businesses to benefit in Kahramanmaraş province

Kahramanmaraş, 13 June 2023 - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Kahramanmaraş Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KMTSO) have joined forces to launch a new US$500,000 grant program aimed at assisting women entrepreneurs whose businesses suffered from the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye in February. This joint initiative, part of UNDP’s early recovery activities, will provide financial support to more than 100 women entrepreneurs seeking to rebuild their businesses in Kahramanmaraş, one of the four provinces where the earthquake damage was most severe.

The initiative was launched today by UNDP Resident Representative Louisa Vinton and KMTSO Vice President Hikmet Gümüşer during a meeting in Kahramanmaraş with local women entrepreneurs.

“The earthquakes were devastating for small businesses in Türkiye, with 220,000 firms completely wiped out across the seven most-affected provinces,” said Vinton. “By throwing a lifeline to women entrepreneurs and women-headed businesses, we aim not only to restore individual livelihoods but also to ignite a virtuous cycle of supply and demand that will encourage people to return to the region. UNDP is preparing to undertake similar recovery programs across the earthquake zone, building on our work here.”

According to a KMTSO study of 355 women-led businesses in Kahramanmaraş, 38 percent were completely destroyed in the earthquakes, while more than 90 percent suffered some physical damage. Women business owners reported an average financial loss of TRY1.43 million (US$70,000). Four percent of women entrepreneurs were injured in the earthquake, and some sadly perished.

"Through this grant program, we aim to provide the necessary support and resources to enable women entrepreneurs to emerge stronger and contribute significantly to the revitalization of our local economy," said KMTSO Vice President Gümüşer. "Together with UNDP Türkiye, we are committed to ensuring that women can once again thrive, lending dynamism to early recovery efforts in Kahramanmaraş."

The grant program is open to women who were running registered businesses in Kahramanmaraş province before the first earthquake hit on 6 February 2023. A total of TRY11 million (US$500,000) will be allocated, with individual grants ranging from TRY10,000 to TRY300,000, for projects lasting between one and six months. KMTSO will oversee implementation of the grants program, with UNDP support.  

Eligible activities include prefabricated or container workplace installation, workplace renovation, repair and restoration, IT equipment and software procurement, furniture purchase, machinery and equipment acquisition, and procurement of materials. Priority will be given to enterprises with three or more employees, projects focused on purchasing machinery and equipment for production processes, businesses owned or co-owned by women entrepreneurs who suffered disability due to the earthquake, and employers with demolished, partially destroyed, or heavily damaged workplaces. Small grants for the repair of less damaged businesses will be provided in cases where only light repairs are needed to restore operations.

Details and eligibility criteria can be found in the “Grant Application Guide,” available here.

For more information: 
Esra Özçeşmeci, Communications Associate for UNDP in Türkiye, esra.ozcesmeci@undp.org