ELEVATE

Empower Women Entrepreneurs in Türkiye Post-2023 Earthquake Through Digital Capacity Building and Adopting Digital Solutions to Support Business Growth and Rebuild (ELEVATE)

Funded by British Council International Collaboration Grants

Principal Investigator: Professor Roya Rahimi

Email: roya.rahimi@wlv.ac.uk

The world is currently grappling with various crises, including natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and the ever-increasing impacts of climate change, which disproportionately affect vulnerable communities. One such crisis struck Türkiye on 6 February 2023, when a series of devastating earthquakes centred in Kahramanmaraş impacted 11 provinces, with Hatay being the hardest hit. This disaster led to the destruction of 48,422 businesses, with many women entrepreneurs (WE) running Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) severely affected.

According to a UN Women report (2023), 88% of women entrepreneurs in the affected regions, including refugees, reported having their business operations disrupted by the earthquake. Of those who paused their businesses, 50% could not resume production or services. The key factors essential to their recovery include market promotion, management support, and counselling services.

In response, the ELEVATE Project—a British Council Internationally Funded Project—has been established to support the digital capacity-building of women-led MSMEs in Hatay. This initiative focuses on sustainable business growth and economic recovery in the aftermath of the earthquake, helping women entrepreneurs enhance their digital capabilities, develop marketing solutions, and improve their competitive advantage to ensure business survival.

Our Approach: Open Innovation and Design Principles

The ELEVATE Project follows a structured methodology based on Open Innovation and Design principles, which includes:

1. Discover: Identifying challenges and opportunities.
2. Define: Developing strategies to address existing gaps.
3. Develop: Crafting solutions to empower women entrepreneurs.
4. Deliver: Implementing and evaluating these solutions in real-world scenarios.

Through constant consultation and co-creation with women entrepreneurs, ELEVATE will conduct a digital literacy gap analysis, develop strategies to address these gaps, and monitor the effectiveness of the solutions. Additionally, women entrepreneurs who benefit from this support will be closely monitored and evaluated, potentially becoming role models for others in the region.

Community of Practice (CoPs): Empowering Women Entrepreneurs Beyond Hatay

As part of the project’s long-term goals, a Community of Practice (CoPs) called “ELEVATE-CoPs” will be formed. Initially focused in Hatay, this community will later expand to other earthquake-affected regions of Türkiye, including Kahramanmaraş and Gaziantep. By strengthening this network of women entrepreneurs, the ELEVATE-CoPs will contribute to regional and national development, fostering a resilient and inclusive business ecosystem.

Project Team

• Professor Roya Rahimi- Principal Investigator University of Wolverhampton
• Associate Professor Halil Burak Sakal - Türkiye Lead- Cappadocia University
• Professor Maharaj Vijay Reddy University of Wolverhampton
• Dr Samia Mahmood University of Wolverhampton
• Professor Subashini Suresh University of Wolverhampton
• Professor Suresh Renukappa University of Wolverhampton
• Lecturer Sinan Baran Bayar - Cappadocia University
• Dr Aygul Akkus- Cappadocia University
• Katharine Fuller, MBA COO of TechWM

Partners and Impact

Led by the University of Wolverhampton (UoW) and its Centre for International Development and Training (CIDT), which boasts a 50-year track record of capacity strengthening in 120 countries, ELEVATE collaborates with Cappadocia University (KUN) as Türkiye’s lead partner. The project also benefits from the expertise of four associated partners:

• Tech West Midlands (TechWM), UK
• Mustafa Kemal University (HMKU), Türkiye
• CARE International (CI), Türkiye
• Women Entrepreneurs Production and Management Cooperative (Antiokhia), Türkiye