25-27 July 2025
Hatay, Türkiye
Nearly three years after the February 2023 earthquakes, many donors have left the region. But for us, standing by affected communities and the organisations leading recovery remains at the heart of our work.
This summer, we returned to Hatay for a three-day Study Trip. Here, we reconnected with our grantee partners and saw how civil society leads recovery with creativity, resilience, and care.
Through our Kahramanmaraş Earthquake Emergency Relief Fund, we’ve granted over £3,7 million to 85 organisations, reaching more than 750,000 people across the region. This visit let us meet those behind the numbers, hear their stories, and see their impact.
Watch the video above and read our recap to see how civil society is not only driving recovery, but also keeping hope for the future alive.
Day 1 – Rebuilding Community, Culture and Hope
We began in Defne, at the Çekmece Community Centre — a temporary structure co-created by the Architecture for All Association (Herkes İçin Mimarlık Derneği) and Hatay Earthquake Solidarity Association (Hatay Deprem Dayanışması Derneği) in collaboration with ASF-UK. Built with reused materials and designed through participatory workshops, the centre reflects a core belief shared by the local community:
Since its creation, the centre has hosted workshops, film screenings, and community meetings. It is not only structurally resilient — designed to leave no trace when dismantled — but socially transformative, giving people a space to reimagine the future of their city.
We then met the Hatay Symphony Orchestra Culture and Art Association (Hatay Senfoni Orkestrası Kültür Sanat Derneği – HSO). Despite losing their instruments, rehearsal space, and even members in the earthquakes, they started over. With our support, they’ve resumed rehearsals with over 60 musicians and reached thousands through public concerts.
We believe we’ve sparked a cultural revolution. You can’t dream of what you don’t know. Now children in Hatay dream of symphonies.
— Ali Uğur, HSO
Our final stop was the construction site of Ali Ismail Korkmaz Foundation’s (ALIKEV) new centre. Damaged during the earthquakes, it’s being rebuilt in partnership with Architecture for All Association, through our joint support with Mor ve Ötesi to support culture & arts in the region. The centre will include music studios for young musicians.
Day 2 – Women’s Rights, Local Production, and Environmental Action
Our second day began at the Hatay Surf Centre, in Samandağ. Here, over 1,000 children — many of them girls — received free surfing lessons last year. The centre promotes gender equality, safety, and child protection, and two of their students were selected for the national surfing team. They’ve even succeeded in integrating surfing into a university curriculum — a first for Türkiye.
We then visited the Samandağ Women’s Life Centre, established by Samandağ Women’s Solidarity Association (Samandağ Kadın Dayanışma Derneği) in partnership with the Association for Women’s Freedom and Equality (Kadına Özgürlük ve Eşitlik Derneği) and the Women’s Coalition (Kadın Koalisyonu).
Modelled after a successful centre in Adana — also launched with our support — this new centre has already reached over 4,000 women and children with psychosocial, legal, and life skills support.
The centre provides counselling rooms, a laundry, a library, and inclusive programming for people with disabilities. One initiative — “caregiver break days” — allows parents of children with disabilities to leave their children in safe care while tending to their own needs. We were deeply inspired by the stories of women who had returned to education and reclaimed public spaces.
Women hesitated at first. But as others joined, they followed. It all began here.
— Hülya Nehir, Samandağ Women’s Association
Next, we met with the Mor Dayanışma Association, whose grassroots work reaches women across Samandağ. After the earthquakes, they delivered hygiene kits, offered psychosocial and legal support, and ran reproductive health education and children’s activities. They’ve played a key role in defending women and families against unlawful demolitions, leading legal resistance and supporting communities through neighbourhood-level organising.
The Defne Women’s Cooperative welcomed us into their production space, where women are creating organic food products and handmade crafts. After losing their workspace in the earthquakes, they rebuilt with our support — enabling 30+ women to restart production and reach over 1,500 local farmers, helping them regain financial independence. Meeting the women behind the cooperative was deeply inspiring. Their care, dedication, and solidarity have made this space a powerful source of strength and income.
We’re so grateful this place exists. Every part of it carries your mark. That first support is what helped us get back on our feet.
— Nesrin Deli, Defne Women’s Cooperative
Finally, we met with the Antakya Environmental Protection Association (Antakya Çevre Koruma Derneği) whose work highlights the environmental toll of the disaster — from the pollution of the Asi River to the spread of stone quarries and the destruction of wetlands. With support from the Turquoise Coast Environment Fund, they are pushing for long-term ecological planning, advocating for community-led environmental justice, and challenging harmful projects.
Day 3 – Reviving Traditions, Empowering Youth
Our final day took us to Arsuz, where the Füsun Sayek Association is helping women revive the traditional art of silk weaving. Through workshops, women are learning new skills, building confidence, and creating income. With support from designers and mentors, they are transforming this heritage into a livelihood.
Our last visit was to the Talebeyiz Biz Association, where young people are reclaiming their voices through music, theatre, and exhibitions. With our support, they launched a youth-led music studio that’s already offering a safe, creative space for healing and self-expression.
These three days in Hatay were a powerful reminder that civil society is not just rebuilding what was lost — it’s shaping a more just, inclusive, and hopeful future.
We are deeply grateful to all the organisations and individuals who welcomed us, shared their stories, and showed us what solidarity in action truly means.
A heartfelt thank you to our donors and supporters — your contributions are making lasting change possible in Hatay and beyond.
And special thanks to our long-time partner, the Support Foundation for Civil Society (Sivil Toplum için Destek Vakfı), for organising the trip and being wonderful hosts.
