Following the success to the
first phase of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) Project which focuses
on empowering Syrian refugee woman in Sultanbeyli, Türkiye, the Embassy of
Malta in Ankara and the Refugees and Asylum Seekers Assistance and Solidarity
Association (RASAS) have signed the Second Phase to this ODA Project. This ODA
Project is led by the Embassy of Malta in Ankara and is funded through ODA Funds
by the Ministry for Foreign & European Affairs and Trade.
The Agreement was signed during
a visit which Chargée d’Affaires of the Embassy of Malta, Dr Kathleen Vella
Mamo, held at the premises of the Refugees and Asylum Seekers Assistance and
Solidarity Association, and of the female cooperative Hemdem, in the
municipality of Sultanbeyli.
This ODA project commenced in
November 2022 and focuses on empowering Syrian refugee women in becoming
self-sufficient by helping them boost their culinary production. During Phase One,
a generator and an industrial oven were purchased for the refugee association
and female cooperative Hemdem to ensure operational continuity and help
increase culinary production. In addition, a customised training module
provided by two Maltese chefs was also delivered.
Building on the first phase of
this ODA project, Phase II focuses on assigning more business tools to the cooperative
thus expanding customer outreach and the long-term viability of the business.
During the visit to the Association’s
premises, particularly Hemdem’s kitchen and the newly opened café, Marifet,
Dr Vella Mamo observed the dedicated female members at work as they prepared
delicious savoury and sweet products. She commended the cooperative for
creating a safe space for Syrian refugee and local women to come together to
bake culinary products and subsequently sell their production to earn a living.
The Mayor of Sultanbeyli, Mr Ali
Tombaş, expressed gratitude to the Embassy for its meaningful contribution to
the Refugee Association and female cooperative, which in turn benefits the
municipality’s social cohesion. On their part, the female cooperative Hemdem
were all praises and highly appreciative on how this project is impacting their
daily lives and helping to transform their vulnerabilities into independent
women capable of economic independence with improved standards of living for
themselves and their families.
The two sides augured that the
second phase of the project would continue to extend the existing collaboration
between the Embassy of Malta in Ankara, and the Refugee Association and the
female cooperative Hemdem.
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