NBE / SAMANDAĞ GASTRONOMY VILLAGE WILL BE A BEACON OF HOPE FOR LOCAL WOMEN

Oxfam KEDV (Foundation for the Support of Women's Work) and Mey|Diageo joined forces after the February 6 earthquake disaster. The two organizations began efforts to transform Hatay's heavily damaged Samandağ district into a tourism destination under the leadership of women. They took the first steps of a long-term, sustainable project to revive and enrich the gastronomy village, which was rented from the municipality by the Samandağ Women's Cooperative and damaged in the earthquake.

In the revitalized Samandağ Gastronomy Village, the primary goals are to train and employ local women under the Learning For Life program, document and preserve the region's traditional gastronomic culture and flavours, and pass them on to future generations. Mey|Diageo General Manager Bahar Uçanlar stated that the Samandağ Gastronomy Village provides a suitable platform for the Learning For Life program, which aims to provide job and hospitality skills to individuals seeking employment in the hospitality sector, especially those who have faced educational and employment barriers throughout their lives. Mey|Diageo General Manager Bahar Uçanlar and Oxfam KEDV President Şengül Akçar jointly announced the step to revitalize the gastronomy village.