The poverty of women due to bad economic management in the country continues to increase with each passing day. Hiba Sarısaç, trying to create employment for women in the İpekyolu district of Van, with the machines supported by KOSGEB, insists on keeping her clothing workshop, which she opened with her own designs and sewing, alive despite the crisis.
When the government’s bad economic management combined with the coronavirus (Covid-19) epidemic, the number of tradesmen who closed their shutters exceeded 10 thousand, according to the data of the last 6 months of 2022, announced by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey. According to the data of June 2021, the number of companies that closed their shutters reached 115 percent. Research shows that women suffer more employment losses and become more impoverished than men during the pandemic process.
Hiba Sarısaç, one of these tradesmen in Van, as in many other provinces, says that she ran the clothing workshop she opened with her own designs, named ‘Nazênin Yeri’ 3 years ago, with her female friends. However, her colleagues are forced to leave due to their economic problems. Sarısaç, who works alone not to close his different and colorful workshop, calls out that many young people in Turkey are unemployed and that a solution to the crisis should be found.
‘I will continue to resist’
Stating that they had run a cafe before, but had to close their shutters due to the economic crisis that was felt intensely during the pandemic period, Sarısaç decided to do her own profession in order not to be idle. Stating that she opened the workshop under difficult conditions, Sarısaç said: “The current economic situation is clear. But I will not give up and I will keep trying. When I was little, I used to make clothes for my dolls. I would even make dolls. I was always curious about wearing different styles and making different productions. I learned everything myself. I went to school because it requires a certificate. I had to take a machine training here and I learned. After learning that, I already learned something by trying. I have succeeded and I will continue to do so.”
She believes she will go a long way
Sarısaç states that she designs and sews clothing and that people like these different styles of clothing. Saying that she believes she will go a long way, Sarısaç said, “I wanted to establish something and succeed without the support of anyone. I opened the shop without telling anyone, and later informed everyone. I bought some of the machines with the support of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development and Support Administration (KOSGEB). I wanted to open a different shop, I wanted to reflect the Kurdish culture to the shop. As soon as I opened the shop, we started working with a female friend. I wanted to work together and contribute to someone. But unfortunately, I was in a situation where I could not pay the rent of the shop and unfortunately the friend had to leave the job because of it.”
Reminding that fabrics are almost 4 times the price compared to last year and that they are updated every week, Sarısaç says that she cannot buy fabrics anymore and it is difficult. Finally, Sarısaç says: “This upsets both me and the person in front of me. It was a pity that she could not like the product and not sell it to me. I am happy and hopeful that we will do something. Let this economy get better now, young people are unemployed. We cannot contribute to anyone. I have 4 machines in my shop, 3 of them are empty. I would like to get a friend who can work on any machine, but it is impossible under these conditions.
Serhat News
Translator :Akif Coşkun
