Djarova is vice chairman of ECORYS International, part of the ECORYS group, one of the largest research and consulting firms in Europe working on economic, social and spatial development. She is here in Ankara for the launch of the EU-funded Support for Women Entrepreneurship project, which will be introduced at a meeting in Ankara on Tuesday. ECORYS has been involved in the project via offering consulting and guidance to the Turkish Tradesmen and Artisans’ Confederation (TESK) and the Union of Tradesmen and Craftsmen’s Chambers (ESOB). The two organizations are responsible for the implementation and sustainability of the project.“I think the background of the Turkish people is very entrepreneurial in itself, and this is helping the project very much. I find it very enthusiastic,” Djarova says in an interview with Sunday’s Zaman in her capacity as director of the project, which has as its target boosting Turkish women’s participation in business life as an entrepreneur by equipping them with essential skills and motivation to start and grow their own businesses.
Support for Women Entrepreneurship is an 18-month project with a budget of some 4.5 million euros. Within its lifespan the project aims at setting up a sustainable support service system for potential and existing women entrepreneurs all around Turkey. By the end of this year some 4,500 women are expected to have received training, consulting and other services.
Support for Women Entrepreneurship services will be provided at nine training centers located in Adana, Ankara, Antalya, İstanbul, Konya, Manisa, Malatya, Nevşehir and Samsun provinces and 16 training relays located in Amasya, Balıkesir, Düzce, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Hatay, Kastamonu, Kırklareli, Muğla, Ordu, Tekirdağ, Tokat, Tunceli, Sivas, Uşak and Yozgat. “The staffs we have at our training centers as well as our local teams are all women. The only exception is our three key experts, who are men. This is a good mix, and it is extremely different than, for example, the experience we had in Central and Eastern European countries,” Djarova says in a reference to the Turkish entrepreneurial spirit.
ECORYS has significant expertise in projects concerning the implementation of various projects in new EU members as well as in EU candidate countries such as Turkey. The group has been active in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly since the early 1990s.
“When we got there, the market was not there, and both market behavior and entrepreneurship behavior needed to be simultaneously developed. Here you have the entrepreneurship, you have the business, but you also have the issue of women,” Djarova says, stressing that Turkish women’s enthusiasm for stepping into business life has introduced a good chance of success for projects similar to the one in which she is involved. But she also emphasizes that this enthusiasm needs to be encouraged via addressing women’s issues as a vital dimension of the socioeconomic development of EU candidate Turkey. The notion that women constitute an important driving force in society and Turkey lagging behind EU member countries in regards to women’s participation in economic life are two main aspects of the Support for Women Entrepreneurship project.
As part of the project, a technical assistance team that comprises international and local experts provided by ECORYS Nederland BV is working together with TESK and ESOB in developing training, consulting and specific services and in the provision of such services.
Those interested in the call to women, saying that “it’s your turn now,” can find the relevant application form at www.kadindestek.com. There is no deadline for applications as they will be accepted on an ongoing basis for the duration of the project. Meanwhile, 20 percent of applicants will be chosen from among men since the project is also intended to show that investing in gender equality can improve the lives of both men and women and bring lasting benefits for future generations.
The project partners believe that “it’s women’s turn now” because they pledge “to help them decide on becoming an entrepreneur; to provide them with up-to-date knowledge on how to start and develop their own business; to help them develop their skills and competencies to handle problems they might face; to help them make better and more solid decisions in their business; to provide them with individual consulting and mentoring on matters of crucial importance; and to help them to grow their existing business and make it more profitable.”
Now, it’s really the turn of those with enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit for a brighter future in which the lack of equal opportunity will not be an obstacle, neither for them nor for their children.
National
