As a result of the project were trained 500 women, who would train another 150 women per year. Most of the women in the project received technical training and then the job counsellors of the project found them a job. It was achieved on the basis of an enquiry, conducted by the Foundation among the business owners (mainly from the service sector) in the area. The inquiry identified the needs of the employers and what they offer and the employees had the opportunity to choose from different options and 147 women could find jobs. A commonly identified problem was that not all employers pay social securities. Some of the trained women refused to start a job, because they considered that the salary is too low and does not cover their daily expenses for food and transport as well as the high price of baby-sitting – in the area there are only three free day-care centres, which are not enough for the residents.

However, the project also aimed at helping these women to set up their own business. Therefore, the CYWF registered its Association through which it has helped those women who would like to start up their own business. About 20 women have already done so. The idea is that these women should be able to employ five women each within two years.

As a result of the training and the entrepreneurial spirit of these women were established several women-owned businesses, like: 3 restaurants, serving traditional food; a workshop for extra-large clothes; a workshop for knitted goods; a mosaic workshop; a real-estate agency; a day-care centre; a laundry; a waffle factory. More about the stories of these women.

Though the measurable effects are small against women’s problems in Turkey and the project’s impact takes time to develop, the CYWF considers that small but successful examples can lead to lasting societal changes on a much larger scale. More about the project activities and the results can be found at: http://www.w4w.nl/

Ms. Tatyana Kmetova talked about the Center of Women’s Studies and Policies, Sofia and its activities, focused mainly on research and training as well as other joint projects with Turkish organizations. She presented in more detailed the surveys and researches of the CWSP on women’s role in economy and the conducted in 2004 trainings in entrepreneurial skills for women at risk in partnership with Integra Association.

The participants in the roundtables had a number of questions to the guests from Bulgaria about the situation of women in Bulgaria, especially on the labour market and women in business. They discussed the different forms of training provided to women, as well as the business sectors in which they usually operate. The participants also gave their opinions regarding the importance of mentoring for women entrepreneurs.

Ms. Darina Draganova from the Regional Economic Development Agency, Stara Zagora shared their experience with establishing and supporting a social enterprise HandKnitCrafts.com – a web based enterprise, selling traditional handmade knitted products. The enterprise was set up by a group of handicapped women, who had worked before for a state-owned clothing company as seamstresses. They were laid off from work in 1991 with the explanation that as invalids they would be taken care of by the State. However, they wanted to and felt able to work and find their place in society. The enterprise was established in 2004 with the help of the Regional Economic Development Agency of Stara Zagora after passing a short training in organization and developing own business and developing the idea for the activities of the enterprise – hand knitting. Today, their unique products have already created their clients and sell well through the internet.

More about the history of the enterprise and its current work: http://www.handknitcrafts.com

Ms. Dimitrina Todorova, Executive Director of BARDA, added to this successful practice by pointing out several more examples for social enterprises – for instance, the laundry in Pleven, run and operated by an organization, providing services and shelter to women, victims of domestic violence. The local organization, member of BARDA, supports the enterprise by consultancy services. Ms. Todorova also talked about the more important projects of BARDA, related to gender issues, like the recently finished an international project called STERE/O under the EQUAL Programme, of 8 organizations from 6 EU and candidate countries. The aim of the project was to identify gender stereotypes underlying the division of labour, access to career advice and vocational counselling practices by comparing situations in member and candidate countries. The findings from the statistical evaluation and the field research in the six partner countries made it possible to formalize conclusions and bring out analysed and gender disaggregated data, to be used by trainers and all persons willing to integrate the gender dimension into their practices. She also discussed the partnership with CWSP and the importance of the project on mentoring for women entrepreneurs for BARDA, with regard to the further implementation of this approach throughout their network.

Before closing the discussion, the project coordinators from Turkey and Bulgaria –Ms. Ceren Isat from KA-DER, Ankara, and Ms. Magdanela Delinesheva from the CWSP, Sofia, once again focused on the purpose of the project and the importance of this information and good practice exchange for both partner organizations, as well as for the invited learner organizations to join the learning partnership.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the roundtable, the guests were invited to see the facilities of the Community Centre of Mamak, run by the Contemporary Youth and Women Foundation (CYWF), Ankara. The Centre has a library, where children from the area come and prepare their homework with the help of the social workers from the Centre, computer room, a big hall used for trainings, its own theatre hall and special rooms used as children day-care premises, when the mothers are attending classes in the Centre. Impressive boards with the names of the women-trainees of the Centre indicating their present jobs clearly speak for the achievements of the Foundation’s team as well as the informative materials and newspaper scrap boards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After that the guest visited the first waffle factory in Ankara, established as the first venture of the Matra project “Women for Women: The Stroopwafel Factory in Ankara. The Stroopwafel Factory is the trade name of Ballim. The company is owned and run solely by women. The owners of the factory are five women, that passed the trainings under the project, and currently they employ five more women. The Stroopwafel Factory is a social enterprise with real profit sharing and human resource development.

 

More about the factory and the product can be found at: http://www.w4w.nl/ballim/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Then the participants had lunch in a restaurant, which was also set up as a result of the trainings the women-owners received through the a.m. project. Three women joined their efforts and started up this business, and already managed to find, though not easily, their place in the area they live. Another business, visited by the guests, was a small café above an antique shop in the old town. The café is run by a woman-trainee of the Foundation, who partners with her friend, who is the owner of the antique shop, and started their business in the tourist area by offering the opportunity for the visitors to taste traditional desserts and drinks and choose from the variety of antiques and souvenirs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All meetings and visits gave the participants the opportunity to see and learn from the experience of the Contemporary Women Youth and Women Foundation, Ankara to encourage women’s entrepreneurship in order to fight poverty and social exclusion. The project partners and the learners agreed that mentoring programs should be introduced and used as much as possible in their work with women entrepreneurs.

 

    

 

This page has been developed under the project Learning Partnerships against Social Exclusion: Mentoring for Women Entrepreneurs, financed by the Socrates/ Grundtvig 2 Program.

 

The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the Center of Women’s Studies and Policies and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Commission or the Socrates National Agency.