Women entrepreneurs are opening up to world markets with Türk Telekom’s “Life is Easy in Digital” project

ISTANBUL (AA) – Entrepreneurial women, who received training, mentorship and grant support within the scope of the “Life is Simple in Digital” project carried out by Türk Telekom in cooperation with the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Habitat Association, started to carry their local production and technology solutions to world markets. According to the statement made by the company, entrepreneurs who develop themselves in the fields of e-commerce, artificial intelligence and digital marketing attract attention with their success stories ranging from Belgium to Austria, from America to global technology companies.

Within the scope of the project, which has provided training to more than 50 thousand women and provided business development support to 50 enterprises to date, it is aimed to provide training to 15 thousand women this year. With the support they received from the project, women improved themselves in the fields of e-commerce, artificial intelligence use and digital marketing and began to export the local products and innovative technologies they produced to all over the world.

While more than 50 thousand women have been reached within the scope of the work carried out by Türk Telekom since 2019, women are taking a more active role in economic life by improving their digital competencies. Many women from different sectors, from those who export the lavender products they produce in rural areas to Europe to those who present the artificial intelligence solutions they have developed to global companies, are expanding their fields of activity with the training, mentoring and grant support they receive.

– “We will continue to write the digital future of our country with women with determination.” Türk Telekom CEO Ebubekir Şahin, whose views were included in the statement, stated that while they stand out in the digital transformation of the country with their “Value for Turkey” vision, they see technology not only as a tool but as a power that produces social benefit and economic value. Şahin emphasized that they offer inclusive solutions and support sustainable development for everyone who cannot participate equally in social life due to economic, social, regional or physical reasons, in line with the mission of building Turkey’s digital future, and continued: “Since 2019, we are proud to reach more than 50 thousand women with face-to-face and online training and provide grant support to our women who want to grow their enterprises.

At the point we have reached today, with our ‘Life is Easy in Digital’ project, we not only contribute to equality of opportunity, but also support the opening of our cultural values and local producers to the world. The fact that our entrepreneur in Anatolia has established an export network from Belgium to Austria, from America to global technology giants, by becoming visible in the digital world with the training he received and increasing his production capacity with the grant he received, reveals the potential of our country in the digital economy.

“We will continue to carry our values beyond the borders and write the digital future of our country together with women by supporting women to take advantage of opportunities in the digital world and establish more competitive and sustainable business models.” – Cezy, the female entrepreneurs who received support from the project Stating that they introduced their products to consumers in national chain markets and expanded into the American market, Canoğulları said, “The trainings and the vision offered by the Life is Simple in Digital project gave us great self-confidence in making our dream of expanding abroad come true.

With the grant we received from Türk Telekom, we renewed our packaging at international standards and entered the American market. We also started negotiations with Canada and European countries.” he said. – “We have become a brand that is recognized and awarded in the international arena.” Pelin Begüm Karadağ, the founder of the Büruz brand, emphasized that by reinterpreting the geographically marked “karacakılavuz weaving” in Tekirdağ with modern designs, they provide employment to women through local weaving and train new masters.

Pointing out that his designs, which have received international awards and gained visibility on a global scale, have also been the subject of documentaries, Karadağ said, “Opening up to the world by using the power of digitalization while keeping our local heritage alive has completely changed our vision. “Thanks to the digital skills we acquired through the Life is Simple in Digital project, as well as the training we received during the mentoring process, we have become a brand that is recognized and awarded not only in Turkey but also in the international arena.” made his assessment.

Esra Odabaşı, founder of the social enterprise ES Kariyer, also stated that they have developed an artificial intelligence-supported talent pool that matches disabled individuals with institutions based on competence, and that the system offers employment solutions to international technology companies. Odabaşı emphasized that he strongly believes in the multiplier effect of technology while creating equal opportunities for disabled individuals and said, “With the support we received from the Life is Simple in Digital project, we established PowerPool, an artificial intelligence-supported talent-based matching pool, so that we can direct the disabled employment source to the right job more quickly.

This digital power lies behind our ability to produce solutions for global technology giants today.” he said. Nezahat Hıdır, the founder of SS Kilim Women’s Enterprise Production and Business Cooperative, stated that they offer home production opportunities to women who live in rural areas, cannot participate in the workforce and especially have disabled children. Pointing out that they created income with the cosmetic products they produced with oils obtained from hidir, lavender and similar plants, established a circular economy model by utilizing the waste of fruit juice factories in the surrounding area and exported their cooperative products to Belgium and Austria, he said: “With the Life is Simple in Digital training, we started to design the labels of our products that we had previously outsourced, learned digital marketing and exceeded our borders.

Knowing that Türk Telekom was on our side was our source of courage as we expanded into challenging markets such as Europe. By the end of the year, we expanded to 5 countries.” We aim to export and open offices abroad.”