Creating a social impact through food EKIP talks with the EU’s Ambassador Christian Berger
In March 2020 we set up the cooperative EKİP. With 15 Syrian women and soon-to-be joined new Turkish and Syrian members, we offer healthy meals for our customers in certain neighborhoods of Istanbul. Despite the negative impacts of the outbreak, we have continued working with our growing team, the seasons have changed and the cooperative now have been selling its summer salads and many other tasty dishes since the beginning of July.
This project has been made possible thanks to the financial support from the European Union, through the implementation support of the World Bank.
In an exclusive interview with EKİP, Ambassador Christian Berger, Head of the EU Delegation in Turkey, shared how the EU supports Turkey in developing skills and businesses in response to Syrian crisis and the importance of building sustainable projects.
Let’s start with the good news. During lockdown many people have had to (re)learn the habit of cooking, either because most delivery services are closed, because they have more time, or because they want to cook together as a family activity. That means diving in on our Instagram for inspiration (or in our grandmother books) and shopping for vegetables (is this paksoy or fennel?) unknown until then. We are doing our best trying to stay healthy to boost our immunity (or just not to put on too many kilos). We eat local because there are only limited imports so this all fits perfectly the values of EKİP! Healthy, seasonal, local …and delicious. So far so good.
Our motivation to meet with the Ambassador was to better understand what considerations institutions like the EU prioritize in investing in such projects. It was clear for us that sustaining the project achievements is key in this regard.
After a small introduction to the EKİP project (yes, our salads do look like the ones of the Belgian Exki or Prêt à manger, really honoured to be compared to them!), Mr Berger gave an overview on EU’s funding instruments. Turkey has been benefiting from projects under Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) since 2007. It aims to support institutional reforms to harmonize legislation as well as capacity building for the economic and social cohesion — including supporting the development of businesses and enhancing the skills of Turkish people to support them in finding employment.
Mr. Berger also mentioned support provided for rural development and agriculture. This is a subject close to our hearts in EKİP, since we really want to be able to partner up with small-scale women farmers, support them in developing sustainable farming and thus guarantee good quality products for our healthy meals.
The funding EKIP receives however falls under the other arm of the EU funding to Turkey. The EU is providing EUR 6 billion funding through the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRIT), a joint coordination mechanism designed to respond the needs of refugees and host communities in Turkey.
The funding EKIP receives however falls under the other arm of the EU funding to Turkey. The EU is providing EUR 6 billion funding through the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRIT), a joint coordination mechanism designed to respond the needs of refugees and host communities in Turkey.
The main areas of the Facility are humanitarian assistance, education, health, municipal infrastructure, and socio-economic support. The projects in the Facility are aimed at supporting host communities too in providing access to quality education, health, protection and livelihoods, as well as other local services. This is true for our EKIP team as well. EKIP is now opening membership to Turkish members who are willing to work in a female-led, inclusive enterprise that follows the principles of social cooperatives. If you know anyone interested, please let us know!
Besides EKIP, the Facility is supporting numerous projects under the socio-economic sector. Projects that are carried out by the Turkish Employment Agency (ISKUR) and Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organization (KOSGEB) with the implementation support of the World Bank, provide access to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities through skills training courses and applied training programs as well as machinery equipment and technical support.
As a closing remark, Ambassador Berger encouraged EKİP to keep focusing on its sustainability and on developing products based on real market demand as opposed to charity support. At JANA (the team behind the EKİP project’s implementation) this has always been our strong conviction and our way to go. If you want to know more about our work, check our website www.jana-impact.org. We agree that it was of utmost importance to give the young generation a sense of perspective, a hope for the future.
It was a very encouraging conversation and has given all of us in EKİP the energy to go forward.
EKİP is a cooperative set up in Istanbul in March 2020. It gathers women from different backgrounds and unites them to build a sustainable financial income for themselves and their communities. EKİP sells delicious and healthy salads to offices in the areas of Istanbul. For more information, check our website (www.ekiplatformu.com) and our Instagram page (@etkinkadinisplatformu). If you want to hear more insights from our beneficiaries, check out our story.
