Grantee Partners

Suna’nın Kızları (Suna’s Daughters)

Context:

Girl Centred Programming in Turkey is extremely limited. Initiatives undertaken to date focus heavily on education and on girls already in formal education (STEM education, life skills development, digital literacy, access to early childhood education etc.). Girls from marginalised communities (Roma population, refugees, disability etc.) remain overlooked, as do their needs in other realms of life. Existing programs lack a girl-centred focus and/or opportunities to enable their participation in decision-making processes that affect their lives. Apart from girls themselves, most projects concerning girls were with schools or teachers, leaving out families and communities which are critically important in a girls’ life. A recent analysis of projects focused on girls suggests the need for increased cooperation among one another, as well as public services, which can be facilitated by a backbone institution to amplify collective impact.

Organization:

Founded in 2003, Suna'nın Kızları (Suna's Daughters) is dedicated to creating institutions of excellence in education, science, and art, with the belief that uplifting Turkey means uplifting its communities through the cultivation of capable, motivated, and engaged citizens and organisations empowered to make their own contributions to society. Suna'nın Kızları provides financial and capacity support to institutions, organisations, and individuals working in areas that tend to be overlooked by other non-profit organisations and Turkish society, such as scholarships, research labs, and facilitating accessible, diverse, and unique cultural enrichment opportunities for all. Suna'nın Kızları continues to support a diversity of organisations including universities, hospitals, community centres, libraries, research centres, and other non-profit organisations reaching thousands of students, children, families, communities, and organisations that serve them each year. Suna’s Daughters is a new initiative, launched by the next gen of the foundation and in response to the dire lack of focused support for girls’ empowerment in Turkey. 

Current Grant:

EMpower's first grant to Suna'nın Kızları will contribute to the inaugural program activities of Suna's Daughters, which will develop girl centered programming in Turkey starting with the  empowerment of 150 young girls and boys (11-12) through the Positive Adolescent Development Programme, reaching 100 caregivers and developing capacity of five community centers (Istanbul with 5 NGO partners and 25 staff) in Girl Centered Programme Design, including creation of a Girls Advisory Council in each center (with at least 20 girls). 

Primary Location: Istanbul

Website: https://www.sunaninkizlari.org/

Funded Since: 2022