Our Crowdfunding Groups
Renklikoy is a transformational program based on a Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) where housing, jobs, vocational trainings and psychological help are provided to survivors of domestic violence in Turkey. Renklikoy will grow and sell healthy, locale-appropriate food to sustain itself while acting as a steward of the lush land rural Turkey provides.
We have a simple mission: Provide refuge and support for women who have suffered unimaginably, and start to build a more equitable and healthy society.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Recent data shows that approximately every other woman in Turkey experiences domestic violence in her lifetime. In 2014, only 2% of 20,000 women who applied to shelters were provided housing. Existing shelters only provide housing for one to six months, and in most cases women have to go back to their abusers due to lack of economic independence or fear for their lives. Over two-thirds of femicide victims are murdered after ending the relationship.
Every day, the rights of millions of Turkish women are being violated by
Renklikoy gives both permanent housing and jobs within its 3-step transformation program.
Enlisting: work with shelters to recruit women ready to start independent lives. Prioritize enlisting only by the emergency of the applicant's status
Empowering: employ and teach women best agribusiness practices along with personal development & psychological support
Transition: transition back into the society as stronger and healthier individuals
THEIR STORY
Our work is in homage to many women.
To Kader who was forced into an arranged marriage at the age of 12 and committed suicide 2 years after her marriage, to Ayse who was stabbed to death by her husband as a failure of police protection, to Hasret who was raped by her cousins and murdered by her uncle, to 13 women who were murdered in the government women shelters by their husbands in 2014...
Domestic violence has become devastatingly commonplace in Turkey. We will work to change that.
We will transform the lives of domestic violence survivors and build a healthier community. We will build Renklikoy where women can live in their own houses without the fear of being beaten or murdered. They will be able to earn their own money while taking care of their children.
Renklikoy women will learn how to farm, produce healthy food and spend time with other women in a secure environment. In their spare time, they will get psychological support and literacy classes and entrepreneurship training. They will keep learning and developing.
In the long term, our goal is to transition as much of the leadership as possible to graduates of the program.
We named our venture, Renklikoy which stands for "colorful village" in Turkish because we believe Renklikoy will bring all the beautiful colors back to survivors' lives.
We are excited to start a new journey with every new woman joining our community.
We would love you to join us...
FIRST DONATIONS
We already started building our village thanks to our first 2 donors who gave us royalty rights of using their land and the container house for five years.
Container house
While selecting the location of Renklikoy, we considered two things: fertility of the land and the distance from the previous location of women. Fertile land will allow us to produce a diversity of crops for generations to come, and distance gives more security for the women and their children. Below you can see generally where the project is located , but we will keep the exact location confidential for the safety of program participants.
Place of the land
Land
BUDGET
Below is the split of how we will spend the donations. With your donations we will furnish the container house that will host a woman and her child, buy agricultural inputs to start the production and pay the salary and health insurance of the first Renklikoy woman for one year.
TIMELINE
Pay for the health insurance of a woman for a month. You will get a social media callout & an electronic thank you card.
Pay monthly utility expense of a house. You will get a monthly newspaper in addition to the perks from previous level.
Pay monthly expenses of a woman. You will be listed as a supporting sponsor on printed materials in addition to the perks from the previous level.
Build a garden with 25 walnut/almond trees. You will get a garden dedicated in your name (or any name you choose) in addition to the perks from the previous level.
Pay for a monthly salary and rental expense of a woman. You will get a Renklikoy calendar featuring the women we support and the products we produce in addition to the perks from previous level.
Pay for a monthly salary, rent expense of a woman plus her child’s education expense for a year. You will receive gold donor status on the "founding sponsor" mural in addition to the perks from the previous level.
Build/reconstruct a house in the village hosting an additional woman and changing her life. You will get a house dedicated in your name (or any name you choose) in addition to the perks from the previous level.
Build our village's kindergarten and hire a teacher. You will get the kindergarten dedicated in your name (or any name you choose) in addition to the perks from the previous level.
Transform a woman’s life by constructing a house and furnishing it. You will receive platinum donor status on the “founding sponsor” mural and get quarterly news updates on the lives you are supporting in addition to the perks from the previous level.
You will build a big enough living unit for 2 women and pay their children’s school expenses for a year. You will receive a special invitation to our yearly “empowerment picnic” (donation cannot cover travel or expenses) in addition to the perks from the previous level.
