They are helping needy families, contributing to their economy.

In Erzincan, women members of the Hünerli Eller Women’s Cooperative are helping needy families and contributing to their own economy by selling handicrafts and food products they produce.

As part of the 8/24 Erzincan Promotion Days events, a stand opened by the Hünerli Eller Women’s Cooperative behind the Clock Tower on Ordu Street showcases local products as well as handicraft items made by the cooperative’s female members. At the same time, the profits from the sales of these products not only contribute to the women’s economy but are also used to help needy families and students.

Providing information about the opened stand, Hünerli Eller Women’s Cooperative member Meryem Akar stated, “We are promoting our local dishes as part of the 8/24 Erzincan Promotion Days. We present the dishes we have made to our people. Our cooperative has 25 members.”

Hülya Bakansız, the Vice President of the Hünerli Eller Women’s Cooperative, said, “As a cooperative, we primarily produce hand-cut kadayif, a local product of Erzincan, and provide it to restaurants, making it available to the public. Additionally, we produce all kinds of dishes such as water börek, olive oil wraps, and meat wraps upon order, offering our varieties to the public for birthdays, special days, and events like engagements. We also have a sewing house. Our tailor friends take special sewing orders here. We provide services by making repairs and alterations as well. The profits obtained as a cooperative provide economic contributions to our entrepreneurial women’s households. We spend what we earn with our own labor on ourselves. Besides this, we provide assistance to needy families. Last year, we worked for the earthquake victims. We also provide help to students.”

Safure Atasoy, President of the Hünerli Eller Women’s Cooperative, mentioned that they bring women together as a cooperative and serve as a market for the products produced by women, stating, “In our cooperative, we sell all products from handicrafts to food products in our market. Here, alongside handicrafts, we have a wide variety of products such as homemade tomato paste, pickles, hand-rolled pastries, desserts, wraps, and dumplings. We cater to every segment of our province. Some products require an order to be placed a day in advance.”