The First Meeting of Teachers and Volunteers

Dear Friends:

I have lots to report! In these first days of Ramazan, we have accomplished a lot with the help of some special community members.

First, I want to share with you the names of the local firms we will be working with to finish the center. Ömer Küçük is the name of the owner of the building company that will finishing both the interior and exterior of the building. We are getting our supplies through Mert Dermir. We decided to use sandwich panels, which we found to be the best quality. Ömer Bey will be donating paint and the labor of his workers. Mert Demir will be giving us the supplies at-cost or close to that. Today we met with Ömer Bey as well as Mert Demir, see pictures below! Today work will start on the surrounding area - mowing, cleaning, etc...

Secondly, I had the honor of attending the first meeting of the Biga Women and Children's Center teachers and volunteers. The practical issues they spoke about felt like the realization of so many hours of talk and so much good work on the part of BTF, KEDV, etc... This week, for example, they will be travelling in groups of two door-to-door to tell people about the preschool, daycare, and women's courses, ask if they have young children, etc... They talked at length about exactly how to present the center, how to ask people about their financial needs, about what courses the women of the house would be interested in entering.

Above all else, the women decided that what was important was that the women themselves - the families themselves - are able to express what THEY want and need. Otherwise the center will not be useful. Ayfer ablam told a story to the group that she heard at a national meeting of women's cooperatives: Some women in the southeast decided to apply for grant money to bring water infrastructure into the villages so that the local women there would not have to continually bring water with buckets everyday. They were thrilled when they received the grant money. But when they went to the village women with the news, the women were very upset. 'Going to get water was the only time we were able to leave the house and meet up with other women,' they said. Because the grant-writers hadn't consulted the local women on their needs and desires first, they thought they were filling a community need when in fact they were taking away invaluable social space for women. Let's not repeat their mistake here, says Ayfer!

all my best,
Jill









1. L-R Hanife, Ayfer, and Ayse of Bikad Coop, and Ömer Küçük, our builder.


2. Suzen, Ayfer and me. These were the two women I worked with at the Bikad restaurant for my ten months in Turkey. During my visit I spent lunch time there to help out a bit during Ramazan - though mostly I'm just there to visit with friends!



3. The first meeting of teachers and volunteers for the Bikad Women and Children's Center.

4. Ayse and Ayfer looking over prices for building materials at Bikad Restaurant.