After the earthquake that occurred on February 6 and impacted 11 provinces, as KADEM, we were on the ground from the first day, utilizing all our resources.

We initiated a relief campaign under the theme ‘Day of Solidarity,’ delivering a total of 12 million TL worth of in-kind assistance to the region, including fuel, food, hygiene items, clothing, and shelter and heating tools. We coordinated the collection of aid and its distribution to those in need in collaboration with the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) and the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).

On the fourth day following the earthquake, KADEM Board of Trustees President Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar, along with KADEM Board Chairman Assoc. Prof. Dr. Saliha Okur Gümrükçüoğlu, vice presidents, and other board members, visited the region to conduct inspections. The KADEM delegation visited the tents of the earthquake victims in Kahramanmaraş and Adıyaman, distributing emergency supplies specially prepared for women, men, and children to those affected by the earthquake.

We opened Women Support Centers in the third week after the earthquake

Starting from the third week after the earthquake, we initiated Women Support Centers in Kahramanmaraş, Adıyaman, and Hatay. Initially focusing on providing acute assistance to women and children in the region, we later expanded our efforts to offer psychosocial support in the subsequent phases. To fulfill this purpose, we engaged psychologists and social service specialists at the Women Support Centers in Kahramanmaraş and Hatay. KADEM employees and volunteers, rotating in shifts, accompanied the professional team at the centers during their visits to the region.

We continued our efforts initiated in tent cities as KADEM Women Support Centers, later extending them to container cities in Kahramanmaraş and Hatay/İskenderun.

We provide professional support to women affected by the earthquake

At our centers in Kahramanmaraş and Hatay/İskenderun, we continue to provide support on every aspect that women may need, upholding the principles of inclusivity and confidentiality. We offer services such as direct counseling, institutional referrals, and access to education and employment opportunities to clients through our experienced social workers and psychologists.

At our Women Support Centers in the earthquake-affected region, we assist in the improvement of the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of clients through psycho-educational sessions and group activities. We are organizing cooking workshops, handicrafts, knitting, cross-stitch, needle lace, amigurumi, macramé, and bag weaving courses through Public Education Centers.

In our Women Support Centers in the region, we also provide training sessions on various topics, including Trauma-Focused Art Therapy, Privacy Education, Group Work on Traumatic Stress Symptoms in Women, Problem-Solving Skills through the Family’s Own Natural Resources, Coping Skills After Disasters and Emergencies, Psychological Resilience, Coping with Negative Thoughts: Safety and Balancing, Early Marriage, the Importance of the Family in School Success, and Substance Abuse Prevention.

In addition to these, we organize informational meetings on Introduction of Clinical counseling models, Social Services and Public Access Training, Cooperative Information Sessions, and briefings on ŞÖNİM (Violence Prevention and Monitoring Center) services.

Through the courses/workshops offered at KADEM Women Support Centers in the region and individual applications, we have reached nearly 6,000 people so far.

We are healing together with the frequent visits we make to the region

On March 6, Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar, KADEM Board of Trustees President visited the Women Support Centers and engaged in conversations with the women. Bayraktar and the earthquake-affected women jointly prepared and served a meal of kısır (a Turkish dish), offering it to the residents of the tent city. Bayraktar conveyed the message, ‘We will heal our wounds together, overcome challenging days hand in hand, and emerge from this process stronger and healed.’ On April 7-8, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Saliha Okur Gümrükçüoğlu, KADEM Board Chairman visited the Women Support Centers in Kahramanmaraş and Hatay. She received information about the activities at the centers, engaged in conversations with women, and shared iftar with them.

As KADEM Women Support Centers, alongside our routine activities in the earthquake-affected region, we have also undertaken initiatives contributing to the rehabilitation process of the local community.

During the month of Ramadan, we organized tent iftar dinners and an Eid celebration event. On May 25th, the employees and volunteers of the Women Support Centers in Kahramanmaraş and Hatay, along with others, participated in a flower planting activity. Alongside women, we brought pots and flowers together, saying ‘Every Flower is a Hope’. As the KADEM Women Support Center, on July 26th, we served Ashura in the container city in honor of the month of Muharram.

Over the course of one year, we reached 372 individuals through psycho-educational sessions and group activities conducted in the earthquake-affected region, provided courses for 475 individuals as part of rehabilitation efforts, and delivered employment-focused training to 50 women.

At the Women Support Centers, we conducted 613 social service sessions with 237 women and 638 psychological counseling sessions with 186 women.

In the Women Support Centers we established in the earthquake-affected region, we provided services to a total of 5798 people within one year.