KADIN EMEGINI DEGERLENDIRME VAKFI (KEDV)

Organizational Vision
Citizen Base Strategy
How It's Working
Lessons Learned

Organizational Vision

Founded by a group of local women in 1986, KEDV seeks to build social, economic, and community assets for low-income women throughout Turkey through partnerships within the public, private and citizen sectors. KEDV empowers women to define their self-reliance through a bottom-up approach organized around the practical needs such as childcare. KEDV offers low-income Turkish women opportunities to become community leaders through education, training, and networking programs geared to improve their quality of life and the lives of their children. At KEDV’s Women and Children Centers, women can receive training and create working groups with other women facing similar challenges in a healthy, productive environment adaptable to the conditions of a given area. KEDV integrates a variety of childcare programs that not only train mothers to be self-sufficient, but also educates children under the age of 6. This creates an affordable, local childcare facility for working women while giving formerly unemployed mothers a source of income and a sense of responsibility. KEDV is also committed to supporting grassroots women’s initiatives by offering capacity building programs for resource mobilization strategies, leadership training, community action and networking skills. In 2002, KEDV launched a micro-credit institution for low-income women entrepreneurs which distributed more than 5000 micro-credits and continues to expand informal credit and saving groups. KEDV emphasizes the importance of peer exchanges at all levels to help grassroots women’s groups spread their influence and learn from each other. It also publishes handbooks and manuals for women and professionals to share their experiences.

KEDV’s economic empowerment programs provide financial services, consultancy/training and marketing support for low-income women, and established a micro-credit institution that has distributed more than 5000 micro-credits to women to start their own ventures. Since the model’s start in 1993, more than 4,000 women have directly participated in KEDV’s program in its 22 Women and Children Centers; more than 10,000 women and children have benefited.

Citizen Base Strategy

"Our Motto Is Participation"

KEDV believes in the power of participation of its stakeholders and the sense of empowerment they derive from it. KEDV's commitment to local resource mobilization draws on the participation of its beneficiaries through skill-sharing, product creation, or financial contributions to the costs of sustaining KEDV's programs. The women and their relatives are invited to teach skills such as cooking, sewing, or childcare at the centers. Participants pay fees based on their income to use the child care centers, which covers the program costs. Women who use the centers for their profit-creating activities contribute to cover the cost of maintenance. In addition, KEDV established an enterprise where 250-300 women sell their handicrafts and other products. Women also participate by lobbying governments and businesses to recognize their needs and provide services or in-kind donations.

Make It Official

KEDV formed numerous partnerships with local and national governments, community businesses, department stores, and businesses in the private sector committed to social responsibility, like Citibank. KEDV emphasizes the importance of signing a legally binding agreement of mutual responsibility, which spells out the benefits received and responsibilities of each party in the partnership. This contract allows for a clear and defined goals and duties to be understood by both sides prior to any joint efforts. This also enables women to maintain regular contacts with enterprises or their local governments to voice their own concerns. Partners typically provide the building and utilities for the women and child care centers. In order to retain partners, KEDV keeps partners informed of and involved in KEDV's activities through their website and by sending them reports.

How It’s Working

• KEDV maintains a network of more than 3000 grassroots women and their families in Istanbul.

• Since 1993, KEDV has promoted its Women and Children Center model and has involved more than 4,000 women and has successfully reached more than 10,000 women and children.

• KEDV has 22 Women and Children Centers in operation to provide high quality early childhood education and care services in addition to other social and economic initiatives.

• KEDV launched a micro-credit institution for low-income women entrepreneurs in 2002 which distributed more than 5000 micro-credits and continues to expand informal credit and saving groups.

• Participation fees for childcare programs cover all program expenses except for training costs.

Lessons Learned

• Build your network. Use beneficiaries of the organization’s programs to lobby potential partners in the community.

• Sustain commitment from partners and beneficiaries. Use mutual performance contracts to assure the commitment of your stakeholders.

• Ask for contributions. Ask beneficiaries to contribute small fees as appropriate to contribute to the sustainability of your program while giving your stakeholders a sense of ownership and responsibility.