Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and its subsidiaries showed great solidarity by not forgetting the women in the earthquake area on March 8, International Women's Day. While providing services such as psychological and social support, health and mother-baby counseling for women in the İBB Women's tents established in the center of Samandağ and Hatay, the Mor Bus, which will go to rural areas for the needs of women, and tens of thousands of thousands of people with the most basic needs such as shampoo, hygienic pads, toothbrushes. The distribution of the hygiene package was carried out.
IMM did not forget the women in the earthquake zone on March 8, International Women's Day. IMM and its subsidiaries sent a hygiene package to the earthquake zone with their budgets allocated for the women's day. In the boxes containing many products, from sanitary pads to shampoo, which are the basic needs in the earthquake zone, IMM President Ekrem İmamoğlu's unity and togetherness message has also been added.
The Purple Bus, carefully prepared by IETT, a symbol of solidarity with women, went to Hatay on March 8, giving some morale boost to our women affected by the earthquake. Hygiene bags created by the Directorate of Women's and Family Services for the needs and consisting of toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, pad, liquid soap, shaving foam, razor blade, nail clippers, comb, hair brush, tissue paper and single soap, Mor Bus and the IMM Assembly Members and the female administrator in charge of the IMM were distributed by the assigned personnel. Apart from the Mor Bus, there are 8 different districts of Hatay with a total of 5 vehicles; It continues to distribute hygiene packages to the villages of Erzin, Hassa, Arsuz, Altınözü and İskenderun. In addition, the Purple Bus will travel to rural areas in the region and will be used for the needs of women.
WOMEN'S CENTERS
With the İBB Women's tents established in the center of Samandağ and Hatay, services such as psychological support, social support, health counseling, mother-baby counseling, legal counseling and workshops are offered for women. In addition, Purple Campuses were established with the memorandum of understanding signed with the Federation of Women's Associations of Turkey. In Purple Points, which are safe areas free from violence; Psychosocial support is provided for all age groups. Information and awareness-raising activities will be carried out on women's health, and trainings are given to ensure gender equality.
“WE CAME TO BE HOPE”
Head of IMM Social Services Department Enif Yavuz Dipşar, who went to the IMM Women's tents with the Purple Bus, said, “We saw that the women in the earthquake region are having serious difficulties. Their hygiene needs are very high, they have difficulty in expressing, they are ashamed. That's why we came here with our female professionals from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Social Services Department. We want to show an example of women's solidarity and spread it in Hatay," she said. Explaining that IMM women's tents are special areas for women in the region, Dipşar said, "Women do not have a place of their own. We provide psychosocial support inside our tents. At the same time, we conduct awareness activities such as art therapy, group therapy and workshops with women. Women need to express themselves. The feeling of loneliness is one of the most common emotions during this period. But none of the women in Hatay are alone. As women from Istanbul, we came here to stand in solidarity with them. We have come to expand this solidarity, to give them hope," he said.