How
We work
Programs
Evaluations
Programs
in Turkey
Current Programs | Past Programs | Follow-Up Projects
Current Programs
Programs in 2007:
Entrepreneurship & Micro Business Skills Training for Low-Income Women
From October 30 to November 3, HasNa, in collaboration with Anatolian Artisans (AnARt), conducted a training program in micro-business management in Mardin in southeastern Turkey for 13 low-income women from the region. The purpose of the training was to provide basic entrepreneurship and business skills to low income women to increase their income. Since these women lack the skills to work in jobs in the city the only way they can make a living is through self-employment. The training was designed to assist them in starting their own micro-businesses outside their homes and help then manage their home based micro-businesses better. The first two days consisted of conflict resolution training where the women learned communication skills that would help them in their personal and professional lives. This was followed by three days of micro-business skills training, which aimed to develop their business planning and management skills. The training motivated the women and equipped them with the tools they needed to start their own micro enterprises or improve productivity in their existing micro businesses as well as increase their incomes. Click here to read the report on the training.
Leader Farmer Training Program
From September 15 to 28, seven farmers and three GAP (Southeastern Anatolian Project) officials, one of whom was a farmer, took part in HasNa’s Leader Farmer Training program. The group, which came from southeastern Turkey, had two days of conflict resolution training by CDS (Center for Dispute Settlement), followed by two weeks of agricultural training by the University of Maryland. The agricultural training focused on alternative farming techniques, growing different crops, water management, sustainable agriculture, and problem solving. Ultimately, the goal was to teach the farmers how to increase their farm output and empower them to take back that knowledge to other farmers in Turkey. The participants visited about three farms each day, and had ample opportunity to witness firsthand different farming practices and how to market their products. One of the biggest problems the farmers face is over-relying on cotton, which is no longer subsidized by the government. The challenge, then, was to train them to experiment with new crops and new farming methods that will inevitably help develop their farms. HasNa understands that by reaching out to leader farmers in the region, they can then use their power and influence to train other farmers in their respective communities and implement change. HasNa will be sending Dale Johnson, who headed the training at the University of Maryland, and Jim Hanson to Turkey to visit each farmer on their farms in October 2008, to evaluate how they are implementing what they learned.
DISIAD Businessmen’s Training Program
From January 29-February 9th HasNa trained a group of 16 businessmen from Diyarbakir, Turkey in business management skills. These businessmen were part of a businessmen’s organization called DISIAD and worked in several sectors including the marble sector, construction and food distribution. The businessmen were trained in several areas such as the elements of a business, how a business is structured to achieve its mission, what is involved in managing a business, how a work process can be managed to be efficient and effective, how employees can be managed to be productive and loyal, and how leadership can plan for strategic growth. Their training also included a conflict resolution portion. The businessmen had the opportunity to meet with a commercial counselor at the Turkish Embassy and several businessmen in the U.S. to learn about what it takes to be a successful businessman in the U.S. This gave the businessmen the chance to see the difference between how business is conducted in Turkey versus the U.S. For the purpose of doing an evaluation in a few months on how the businessmen are using what they learned during the training, HasNa asked all participants to write a business plan before they left. The businessmen will implement these plans when they return to their jobs.
MUSIAD Businessmen’s Training Program
A second group of nine businessmen from Diyarbakir received business management training from March 18-30th. This group was from a more conservative businessmen’s organization named MUSIAD. These businessmen worked in different sectors such as health, construction, and food. Their training program was similar to that of the previous group’s. In addition to the business management and conflict resolution training, they had a chance to meet with Turks who worked at the World Bank, American businessmen, and founders of NGOs in the U.S. They also visited the National Fruit Product Company to observe how products are manufactured in the U.S. HasNa, in order to evaluate the success of the training, asked this group to write a business plan that they will implement when they return home.
Programs in 2006
English Language Teacher Training
From December 18-22, Bennett Lindauer from Georgetown University volunteered to train 25 English teachers in teaching techniques in Şanlıurfa. These teachers teach at several primary and high schools, some in villages, in the region. The classes were three hours a day and sparked a lot of interest in the English teachers. They had never received such training before and emphasized that they wanted the training to continue because they found it to be very helpful to them. Bennett Lindauer also had the chance to visit two primary schools and one high school in Sanliurfa and observe the classes.
CYDD Staff Training-(Cağdaş Yaşami Destekleme Derneği-Association to Support Modern Living)
CYDD is a volunteer organization that focuses on teaching young women and housewives certain skills to help them find jobs and achieve financial independence. From November 1-3, the staff of CYDD were taught skills in conflict management and how to solve problems in hopes that it will benefit them in their jobs. Some of these people are involved in a program in which they go to small villages in southeastern Turkey to try to convince the fathers to send their daughters to school.
Farm Extension Workers Training Program
The Farm Extension Worker Training Program took place in Washington, DC and Maryland from September 16th to October 6th. The training program was attended by 10 farm extension workers, from southeastern Turkey and their supervisor who came from the Ministry of Agriculture in Ankara. Seven of them worked for the Ministry of Agriculture, whereas three of them worked for the GAP administration. These farm extension workers were agricultural engineers who were contracted by the government to identify problems that local farmers in the region have and advise them on how to solve them.
The objective of the training was to improve the farm extension workers’ professional capacities and also provide them with conflict resolution and communication skills that will assist them in their professional and personal lives. Click here to read the report on the training.
Summer Camp Teachers Training Program
Micro-Enterprise Management & Conflict Resolution Training Program
From April 10th-15th, HasNa collaborated with Anatolian Artisans to conduct a Micro-Enterprise Management & Conflict Resolution Training Program for 21 low-income women from diverse cultural backgrounds in Kilis, Turkey. All the women who participated in the program were members of the local Women’s Community Centers (CATOMs). The purpose of the program was to provide these women with the business skills and confidence to start, manage and operate their own businesses. Click here to read the report on the training.
Other Past Programs
1) Southeast Anatolia Water Resource Management Workshops
Each year, HasNa’s Southeast Anatolia Water Resource Management Project in conjunction with its local partners - the GAP Regional Development Administration’s Regional Directorate in Sanliurfa, DSI (Turkey’s national water management agency), TEMAV (a local NGO) and water users associations, brings ethnically diverse groups of irrigation and agricultural engineers to the U.S. for training in water management, sustainable agriculture, farmer outreach and conflict resolution skills development. Feedback from participants has consistently been high, describing the HasNa training as a “life transforming” experience.
By training young adults, we are strengthening human capital and promoting self-sustainability. In 2000, HasNa began a long-term project aimed at improving the effectiveness of Water User Associations (WUA) in the Urfa region of Turkey. This program was followed by three successive programs starting in 2002 focusing on the training of water engineers in conflict resolution and management skills. Our most recent program in 2005 hosted the chairmen of all of the WUAs of the Sanliurfa Province.
Background and Problems
In the 1970s, the Turkish government launched
a large development project, GAP, the Southeastern Anatolia Project -
to benefit 6 million people in 9 provinces: Adiyaman, Batman, Diyarbakir,
Gaziantep, Kilis, Mardin, Siirt, Sanliurfa, and Sirnak. It has become
the largest economic development project ever undertaken in Turkey.
In 1995, the Turkish government transferred the operation of GAP irrigation
systems to nongovernmental Water User Associations (WUA), managed by local
community leaders, with all the farmers as members.
Technical Training: Based upon the needs expressed by our partner in Turkey,
the specific focus of the technical training is on irrigation management
and extension activities.
The following items are addressed in the training:
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· providing
irrigation water to local farmers in a timely and fair manner
· eliminating wasteful irrigation techniques that degrade the fertility of the soil due to salinization and water logging
· assisting local farmers through extension
· learning about a variety of irrigation and cultivation methods, and study the use (and misuse) of fertilizers and pesticides
· marketing: seeking local alternatives as well as regional export possibilities for locally produced goods
· coordinating regional efforts and promote cooperative networking
· using the Internet as a tool for communication and applicable research
· participatory monitoring and evaluation
Conflict Resolution, Teamwork and Mediation Skills
Rapid globalization of the economy, and increased diversity in the workplace,
present great opportunities as well as challenges to Turkey’s modernization
process. In this context, teamwork is essential to the success of
any enterprise.
Water User Association (WUA) employees must therefore anticipate the potential
for conflicts to arise or be exacerbated by water management issues and
be equipped with the tools to promote cooperation and restore working
relationships in times of tension.
Training in teambuilding also serves to improve cooperation among WUAs
and establish networks that will expand the available resources and potential
markets for regional farmers. To provide this training, HasNa works
with the Center for Dispute Settlement (CDS) in Washington, DC.
Training Program 2005
After five years of hearing stories from the engineers about their training, and witnessing their successes when given the authority to use techniques learned during HasNa training, the chairmen of the Water Users’ Associations decided to see it for themselves. In 2005, for the first time HasNa hosted nine chairmen from the WUAs in southeastern Turkey, who head the water associations and are also landowners and community leaders.
The group spent one week in Washington, DC, studying conflict resolution and leadership skills and met with a representative of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to learn the history of water distribution in the United States. They then traveled to Los Baños, California where they spent one week with representatives of the San Luis Delta-Mendota Water Authority and studied irrigation technology.
Not only did the chairmen have the opportunity to acquire knowledge on new sustainable agriculture techniques and broaden their horizons by seeing how the water management in California works, but they also learned conflict resolution techniques that will help them in their professional and personal lives.
Training Program 2004
All twelve participants attended English language courses in Turkey to achieve a certain level of proficiency before their departure to the U.S. Once in the U.S. at Georgetown University’s Center for Language Education and Development (CLED), the participants were engaged in two weeks of cultural orientation and English language courses. In conjunction with the English language training, the participants received four days of training at the Center for Dispute Settlement (CDS) in Washington, D.C. on effective communications, conflict resolution and mediation. The skills that participants acquired were useful in building cooperation and developing more beneficial professional, community, and familial relationships. During the third and fourth weeks, participants were trained at one of the U.S.’s leading land-grant universities, North Carolina State University (NCSU). The training focused on natural resource management with an emphasis on the development of practical problem-solving skills and their application in community-based extension services. For the last week of training, the participants returned to Washington D.C. for a one week course in participatory monitoring and evaluation and its application in extension services with farmers. During this week the participants developed a project concept and identified defined goals, objectives, indicators, data collection methods, and a plan for putting their project to work upon their return to Turkey.
Training Program 2003
In the training that was conducted from October 17th to November 23rd in 2003, ten participants began their training with English Language training with Georgetown University followed by a five-day mediation and conflict resolution training with Center for Dispute Settlement. The participants then traveled to California for the next three weeks of training at ALBA’s Rural Development Center. There, the training consisted of water management and agricultural practices in California, the strengthening of farm management skill, organizational management and conflict resolution at the organizational level, alternate cropping, observation of irrigation technologies, economic analysis of crops, crop budgeting, water usage fees, and the storage, processing and marketing of products. The training was concluded with a three-day monitoring and evaluation workshop in Washington D.C.
Training Program 2002
In 2002, a group of 13 agricultural and water engineers from southeastern Turkey attended an eight-week training program from March 11th –April 26th which included English language training at Georgetown University, conflict resolution training with the Center for Dispute Settlement, and computer training, and field internships with district water managers from the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority. The participants were trained by California State Polytechnic University from April 7th to April 26th. The goal of the eight-week training program was to provide the agricultural and water engineers, who work with farmers and boards to manage the distribution and effective use of irrigation water, concrete skills that would enable them to perform their jobs more effectively. The objectives of the training program were to reduce conflict between trainees and local farmers, train the participants to serve as consultants to the farmers, to improve management skills, and to increase information sharing among trainees including gaining access to information in English through the internet.
Training Program 2000
In 2000, nine participants came to the U.S. for a six-week training program from October 14th to November 11th, 2000. Prior to their arrival, they had received several months of English Language training in Turkey. The first week in the U.S. was spent at Georgetown University with additional language training, followed by a week of conflict resolution training with the Center for Dispute Settlement. Next, they went to the University of Arizona for agricultural training. The participants spent the third week at the Maricopa Agricultural Center studying irrigation management, irrigation scheduling, and system efficiency. The fourth week was spent at the University campus. During this time, the participants were also introduced to computerized programs for the assessment of surface irrigation systems. After this training period, they returned to Washington D.C. for additional training in monitoring and evaluation.
2) Micro-Enterprise Development Project
In October 2003, HasNa launched the Micro-Enterprise Development Project to build the management skills of women entrepreneurs residing in Southeast Turkey. The project was jointly managed with Anatolian Artisans (www.anatolianartisans.org), a Washington-based nonprofit organization that promotes Anatolian handicrafts and increased income for artisans. The project combined HasNa’s conflict resolution training with Anatolian Artisans’ business skills and market development programs, targeting women and youth with low to moderate literacy. Participants gained effective communication and conflict resolution skills for running a business. Eight individuals participated in a training course which equipped trainers with the necessary skills to lead follow-up training courses for CATOM (local women’s centers) members. Additionally, two local master trainers were identified to deliver business skills and entrepreneurship training using the Making Cents curriculum (http://www.makingcents.com).
3) English Classes in Sanliurfa
In November 2005, in keeping with its mission of encouraging the networking of HasNa graduates for continuing support and sustainability, HasNa sent Dennis Copeland, a former Peace Corps volunteer and ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher of 30 years, to teach English to former HasNa program participants. Mr. Copeland has several years of experience teaching English in Turkey, having taught ESL classes in Sanliurfa while he was in the Peace Corps, and English to high school students in Izmir at the American Collegiate Institute.
During the HasNa English classes, Mr. Copeland taught two classes five days a week for four weeks to 20 HasNa participants. The two classes received English language training and prepared a presentation in English in their own respective fields that they presented to their employers. Earlier, when the participants attended the program in the U.S., HasNa had paid for their English language training. This time however, the participants contributed to the English language training costs. The result was a collaborative effort. During the classes, Mr. Copeland emphasized conversational English. Since the participants rated him so highly, we are sending him back to Sanliurfa in the fall to teach another group of past HasNa participants.
HasNa has created a Learning and Innovation Small Grants Fund to further the dissemination and impact of the skills and learning gained by HasNa’s training participants. The projects are reviewed and selected on a competitive basis, and must meet the criteria established by HasNa.
Generally, follow-up projects seek to achieve one or more of the following:
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·
Support continuous learning and professional skills development
· Improve economic opportunities for communities in Southeast Turkey
· Help HasNa participants to stay in contact with one another to continue to
share their experiences and support one another in their work
· Help participants to use their conflict resolution skills at work or in the community
·Help HasNa to identify new small projects that are relevant to its mission
In 2004, two grants were awarded to former HasNa trainees to conduct follow-up projects. The grant awarded to Servet Yazar aimed to inform Harran Plain Farmers about their legal rights, new technologies, and agricultural developments in the region. It resulted in the founding and publishing of a local newspaper which continues to be circulated throughout the Harran Plain. The second grant was awarded to Fatih Yildiz. The objective of his proposal was to strengthen relations between farmers and WUA workers. During the project, relations between the WUAs and local farmers were observed comparing the progress of relations from the establishment of the WUAs to 2004. Within a period of three months, participatory interviews and sessions were conducted in several villages. Their purpose was to assess the knowledge of local farmers, and make them aware of their rights, as well as the duties and works of the WUAs. The project also included the participation of two WUAs which were interviewed and involved to make them better aware of the needs of the farmers.
In 2005, HasNa awarded two more grants. Both projects involved alternative crop use as a secondary source of income in the GAP region, where irrigation farming increased the options of agricultural cultivation. The objectives of the proposal from Servet Abrak were to encourage the cultivation of fava beans and peas during the winter in order to give small farms the opportunity to earn more per unit square. The farmers were taught cultivation methods that resulted in a higher overall income. The second project awarded to Cetin Sen proposed to cultivate strawberries, encourage their cultivation, and create a market for them in order to give small farms that practice irrigation farming in the GAP region the opportunity to earn more per square unit. Project activities of both projects included farmer education, soil preparation, planting, fertilization, harvest preparation, the installation of an irrigation system, dealing with agricultural pests, management, and marketing.
