Sabancı Foundation Turkey’s Changemakers Program continues to share the unique stories of extraordinary people who contribute to social development.

This week’s Changemaker is the Women Branch of Vakıflı Village Cooperative which was founded in order to provide solidarity in Turkey’s only remaining Armenian village, the population, and income of which had been decreasing.

Vakıflı Village Cooperative was founded in 2004. With the foundation of the Women Branch in 2005, the cooperative started to become more active. The Women Branch, which started with 5 female members, now boasts 27 female members. Home-made jam, laurel soap, fruit juice, laurel oil, pomegranate syrup, and 17 kinds of liquors are sold in the garden of the church, in the tea house, and in their small branch in Kurtuluş, İstanbul. While the producers receive 80% of the sales revenue, the remaining 20% is contributed to the cooperative. In April and May, when the tourism season kicks off, the income of a woman working for the Vakıflı Village Cooperative may go up to one thousand TL.