İliz Kayıkçı: The materials provided made me feel very comfortable

Iliz needed income to support the household. She has a sick son and is solely responsible for his care. Since she could not leave her son alone at home for a long time, it was not possible for her to get a job outside. The pastries she made and took to her neighbors and relatives were very popular. She thought she could turn this into a business. She started making and selling cakes, pastries and desserts to earn a living. She sold what she made at home by announcing it to her acquaintances. 

When her house was destroyed in the earthquake, she moved in with her family. She did not work for a while, but with the support of her family, she started making and selling again. Her aunt had a hairdresser’s shop, she sold to the women who came there, and then continued to sell to those who heard about her through them. She made pastries upstairs, and those who came to the hairdresser’s shop downstairs and smelled the scent did not leave empty-handed. She continued to make sales through the hairdresser. 

“I thought I would sell better if I was supported. The materials provided made me feel very comfortable.”

She moved from her family to a container city and learned about mavikalem through her circle of friends. Her application was approved and mavikalem delivered a dough kneading machine and an oven to İliz. Thanks to the dough kneading machine and oven, she can produce more. She made an agreement with a market near the container city. She drops her products to this market on a weekly basis and receives the sales income. She also has a certain number of customers in her neighborhood, to whom she sells her products. She plans to continue making and selling in the container until she has a house. 

There are still power and water cuts in the container city. When needed, İliz goes to the family house and cooks her products. She announces her products by sharing them on WhatsApp and her social media account. 

“I refuse job offers to stay with my son. I would like to do more. My dream is to establish my own business and provide jobs for women.” 

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