CAPITAL/Training at Samandağ Gastronomy Village

Training at Samandağ Gastronomy Village is Bearing Fruit

As a result of the training, 15 women have started working in private businesses, while 5 women have established their own businesses and started earning income through home-based production.

Under the Samandağ Gastronomy Village project, initiated by Mey|Diageo, the Foundation for the Support of Women's Work (Oxfam KEDV), the Samandağ Women’s Cooperative, and the Samandağ Municipality, the Learning for Life lifelong learning programs are yielding positive results. The training, which started in May 2024, hosted 204 participants. Among them, 15 women have found employment in private businesses, while 5 women have launched their own businesses and begun earning income through home-based production.

Following the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, the Samandağ Gastronomy Village project was initiated under the leadership of Mey|Diageo and the Foundation for the Support of Women's Work (Oxfam KEDV). The project continues at full speed in collaboration with the Samandağ Women’s Cooperative and the Samandağ Municipality.

While the construction efforts for Samandağ Gastronomy Village continue, Learning for Life training programs are being conducted in different venues designated by Samandağ Municipality. Over the past six months, seven training groups have been organized, covering topics such as guest reception, accommodation, culinary apprenticeship, and hygiene. A total of 204 women participated in these programs.

Among the 124 women who successfully completed the gastronomy and tourism-related Learning for Life training and earned their certificates approved by the Ministry of National Education and universities, 15 women have been employed in private businesses, while 5 women have started their own businesses and begun generating income through home-based production.

Samandağ Gastronomy Village to Open in the First Half of 2025

Şengül Akçar, founder of KEDV, emphasized that weather conditions have impacted the construction of the village, but to keep the project on track, training programs were initiated in alternative locations. Highlighting the significant role of these programs in integrating women into economic life, Akçar stated:

"The training center will be the first facility to open within the village. Following that, we plan to activate the restaurant and guest accommodation units."

Mey|Diageo General Manager Bahar Uçanlar also stated that they aim for the village to be officially operational in the first half of 2025. Expressing her excitement for the countdown to the opening, Uçanlar added:

"Diageo’s Learning for Life program, which has been successfully implemented in many countries, will continue with even greater intensity once the village becomes fully operational."