Turkey women's textile empowerment programs

In late July 2026, a municipal initiative in Beyşehir, Konya launched the "Hünerli Eller" project, training 24 housewives to sew pajamas and under‑garments from reclaimed fabrics. After a brief pilot phase, ten participants began small‑scale production, with plans to move to full‑scale serial production in September.

A week later, two additional municipalities expanded the model. In İzmir, Karabağlar’s newly created Textile Academy graduated 51 women who showcased their self‑made garments, emphasizing confidence and economic independence. In Gaziantep, Şahinbey’s Serial Production Textile Workshop taught advanced skills such as cost planning, industrial cutting and quality control; its graduates have already begun selling products via social media, generating household income and new businesses.

Together, these efforts illustrate a rapid scaling of women‑focused textile training across Turkey, moving from a single pilot to multiple municipalities offering both basic and advanced production capabilities, with an increasing emphasis on marketable outputs and sustainable employment for women.