Bridge to Türkiye Fund is at the United Nations to Support Girls Empowerment
We believe in girls empowerment.
We believe in gender equality.
The right to have a voice, to vote, to have a fair and equal wage, to be safe at work place and have equal rights to land and inheritance — all these are critical women’s rights that are still being fought for all over the world. As Bridge to Türkiye Fund, we are dedicated supporting women to secure these rights through education and become leaders in their communities and in their workplaces. We believe education is the key for women and girls to reach to their fundamental rights. When women are economically empowered there is a greater chance of breaking the cycle of poverty, investing in children’s education and training, building healthier, more sustainable, and equal societies.
When a woman has political and economic rights, she can be powerful and she can be heard.
Like many parts of the world, there is a big gender gap in Turkey and women are under-represented in decision-making, particularly at the political level. Turkey’s gender gap places it 131th of 144 countries, according to the 2017 Global Gender Gap Index of the World Economic Forum. It ranks 101th in educational attainment, 118th in political empowerment for women, and 128th in economic participation and opportunity. Women are two-thirds of the world’s labor force, yet only earn 10 percent of the world’s income and it is not any different in Turkey.
Since 2015, with the support of Impact Champions Koç Holding, Vodafone Turkey and Unilever Turkey, UNWomen Turkey engages Turkish civil society, private sector and youth in national HeForShe initiatives. HeForShe, is a global movement that supports gender equality and women’s empowerment by engaging men and boys to become agents of change for full equality between men and women.
Recent research indicates that achieving gender equality can add $12 trillion to the global economy and gender diversity at all levels of the organization leads to increased profitability, productivity, and organizational effectiveness. Governments, civil society, and the United Nations are increasingly looking to engage and partner with companies that have a commitment to advancing gender equality. As an example to this engagement, Bridge to Türkiye Fund, a UN accredited NGO, will collaborate with Hamdi Ulukaya Initiative, a philanthropic business incubator program and host a parallel event at the 62nd session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW62) at Church Center of the United Nation on March 20, 2018 and honor International Women’s Day. The panel will present a real life example of a rural entrepreneur woman, Sevil Ike’s collaboration with the parallel event host Bridge to Türkiye Fund and co-host Hamdi Ulukaya Initiative to road-map and implement her dream to provide economic and social empowerment through creating business opportunities for local women in her hometown, in rural Turkey. The discussion will highlight the details of a proven social entrepreneurship model as a benchmark, which can be replicated in any part of the world to achieve gender equality through economic empowerment.
CSW62, the UN’s largest gathering on gender equality, will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 12–23 March 2018. It will focus on the theme, “Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls”. The Commission is one of the largest annual gathering of global leaders, NGOs, private sector actors, United Nations partners and activists from around the world to share experiences, look at good practices, learn form each other about the status of rights and empowerment of all women and girls, everywhere.
As Bridge to Türkiye Fund we are very proud to participate CSW62 along with 450 NGOs, have the opportunity to meet with thousands of like-minded people, scholars, activists and entrepreneur from all over the world and be partnered with philanthropic business incubator program, Hamdi Ulukaya Initiative.
Our message and/or action we want to deliver at the parallel event on March 20 2018 is:
Create awareness: Do not accept the current gender inequality and socioeconomic imbalance Dream: Speak freely on what is important to you and your community
Deliver a method: Create nexus among NGOs, entrepreneurs, socially responsible business and academic institutes.
Deliver an action: Gather know-how from professional and academic networks. Identify value added services and/or products to generate economic empowerment. Establish a sustainable business.
Bridge to Türkiye Fund actively runs several projects to mobilize and generate philanthropic resources benefiting the socio-economically disadvantaged segments of Turkish society, with emphasis in gender equality, girls’ education and professional development. Since its inception in 2003, Bridge to Türkiye Fund has empowered more than 2400 students through scholarships and and has sent more than $3 million to children’s education and health programs in Turkey. Bridge to Türkiye Fund actively works with local NGOs in Turkey for empowerment of Syrian refugee women, offer professional mentorship to rural entrepreneur women and collaborate with philanthropic business incubator programs.
Bridge to Türkiye Fund is a 100% volunteer-run, charitable non-profit, 501(c)(3), United Nation-accredited Non-Governmental Organization organization. Contributions made to BTF are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by IRS. BTF’s tax identification number is 58–2678580.
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