Global Reach: Past Grantees

Context:

Child marriage is prevalent throughout Turkey and especially in the Eastern region of Anatolia where 15% of marriages occur with girls under 14 years old. The inability to secure sufficient family income spurs fathers to give the girl as dowry, instead of having to feed her at home. While the legal age of marriage in Turkey is 18, or 17 with parental consent, the average age of marriage in this region is 16. By age 25, these young women have an average of 5 children.

Organization:

HADD’s overall goal is to facilitate economic empowerment by creating social business opportunities (to date, weaving rugs and producing local honey) for young women in the Eastern province of Van. HADD aims to teach youth – particularly girls- and young women-of migrant families from rural areas with limited economic resources the skills necessary to improve their lives socially and financially. The objective is to support increased socialization among the young people of the area, particularly young women, to improve their problem solving abilities, and enable them to make the best use of the cultural and artistic values and traditions of their region. The reports indicate that they have been making a significant difference in the lives of the girls they are serving.