27th Issue Success Story "ARAKNE AN KNITTING TALE"

The story of Arakne begins with the call for grants made by the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Turkey to civil society organizations. It was initiated by Şebnem Erdemir, one of the active members of the Aydın Women Entrepreneurs Association and founder of Priene Consulting. Following brainstorming sessions with the management and project board of the Aydın Women Entrepreneurs Association, the Arakne Workshop was brought to life.

They named the workshop after Arakne, a Lydian girl who claimed to have weaving skills superior to those of the goddess Athena in mythology. As a consequence of her arrogance, Athena transformed her into a spider, forcing her to weave for eternity.

They envisioned a workshop where various accessories could be designed and produced, such as leather, wicker, textile bags, hats, gloves, and more. Additionally, they aimed to ensure that home-based women producers (who had to work from home due to compelling reasons) could earn per product for every detail they produced, thus contributing to their household economy.

The ultimate goal of the project was to operate the workshop for one year through the Aydın Women Entrepreneurs Association and then hand it over to a dedicated woman at the end of the year. The workshop was coordinated by Nalan Tosun, a creative engineer and member of the association. Throughout the project, Aydın's Governor, Mr. Yavuz Selim Köşger, consistently provided moral support and valuable insights to the Aydın Women Entrepreneurs Association. Institutions like the Aydın Commodity Exchange, MB Holding, Kaltun Mining, and EYS Metal emphasized their commitment to empowering women entrepreneurs by offering financial support to help the project achieve its goals.

During the one-year project period, all association members and home-based women producers dedicated serious effort to the workshop. Throughout the project, they designed and produced various products, primarily focusing on multi-functional and durable shopping bags and unique wicker bags tailored for different congresses, projects, and institutions. As the project period came to an end, the Aydın Women Entrepreneurs Association and the Arakne coordinator began searching for a suitable female entrepreneur to take over the workshop.

After discussions and selections, a passionate, eager, talented, and ambitious female entrepreneur candidate named Ayça Ongan was found. With the mentorship and support of Esen Türker, the founding president of the Aydın Women Entrepreneurs Association and chair of the TOBB Aydın Women Entrepreneurs Committee, Ayça received the first order for Arakne from Coca-Cola Turkey. Arakne produced bags made from Coca-Cola advertising vinyls for the New Year.

The Arakne Project, which was eligible for support from the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Turkey thanks to the Aydın Women Entrepreneurs Association's application, successfully completed its objectives with the financial and material support provided by the Aydın Governor's Office, Aydın Commodity Exchange, MB Holding, Kaltun Mining, and EYS Metal. The project created job opportunities for a total of 62 women, including 6 in the workshop and 56 working from home.