ANKARA – The Entrepreneurship Programme organised under the "Opportunities for Lives Project" implemented jointly by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Directorate-General for International Labour Force (DG-ILF) of the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services was expanded to include Mersin to support entrepreneurs in the face of adverse economic impact of the pandemic.

260 applications were filed to the grant support programme assisting Turkish citizens and Syrians under temporary protection residing in Mersin to start new business or expand existing ones. Having passed the initial evaluation, 43 candidates presented their business plans to the jury. Interviews were held online due to the pandemic, and 16 candidates were selected to receive a grant of 45,000 TRY each.

The Project Coordinator Ms. Fatma Gelir Ünal said: “It is all the more important that we could implement this program amid the pandemic. We are also happy that we can give income and job creation support to individuals and their community in an environment of economic recession and uncertainty caused by the pandemic.”

Mr. Emre Dönmez, National Officer for Enterprise Development in charge of the Entrepreneurship Support Programme, said: “The Entrepreneurship Support Programme is one of our most important activities under the project for it reaches beneficiaries directly and is able to create permanent impact. Supporting Turkish citizens and Syrian migrant who have potential to create income and jobs through starting own businesses or expanding the existing ones creates social good for people by its multiplier effect. Therefore, we the teams of ILO, DG-ILF and Mersin Technopark undertook a rigorous, objective and transparent process to identify candidates with the highest potential for success. We believe that the entrepreneurs selected in Mersin will be successful through our support despite the pandemic.”

Previously under the project, entrepreneurship training was provided to 500 persons including 420 Syrians under temporary protection and 80 Turkish citizens in Konya, Istanbul, Bursa and Hatay, 100 persons were mentored on preparing business plans, and 53 who were selected through contests were awarded grant support by ILO for starting business.

Mersin Technopark to Support Entrepreneurs

Mersin Technopark as the local implementing partner of the project provides guidance to grant winning entrepreneurs on effectively implementing business plans and contributing to economic life as sustainable enterprises.

About Opportunities for Lives Project

The "Opportunities for Lives Project" implemented jointly by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Directorate-General for International Labour Force (DG-ILF) of the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services with funding from the European Union (EU) aims to empower Turkish citizens and Syrians in 9 provinces economically and socially, and work formally and under better circumstances.

Implemented with a budget of 11.6 million Euros from EU, and coordinated by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services, the project is implemented in Ankara, Istanbul, Bursa, Konya, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Adana, Mersin and Hatay to empower and increase the resilience of Syrians and host communities in Turkey.