Pedaling for Empowerment

Sumeyye Sahin is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

*Due to circumstances Sümeyye entered a new partnership as of September 5th with multiple Rotaryclubs for the "Empowerment of women in rural areas in Hatay" project. All donations that are entered from this date forward will go to this new cause. Don't worry, all donations made before the 5th of September go to YuvaProject, just as intended at the time.

Hi there,

Welcome to my GoFundMe page! Join me in making a difference for those who were affected by recent earthquakes in Turkey.

Backstory

February 2023 Turkey and Syria were heavily hit by multiple earthquakes. Cities were destroyed and demand in assistance and supplies skyrocketed. Through one of many initiatives in Enschede I met Filiz and we bonded over our mutual drive to do more. We thought of ideas for a project of our own which ultimately lead to Cycling to Turkey. Karsu Foundation and Yuva Project joined us as well as many sponsors and off we went to raise money for building houses.

The First Hiccup

September 2nd we kicked off our journey in Enschede, the Netherlands. We were off to a great start but within the first few days Filiz got injured and unfortunately had to return home, which meant she had to withdraw from this project. Shortly after that our partnering foundation and Yuva Project withdrew as well, due to higher risks of cycling solo. So it was safe to say the first hiccup was a fact!

Stage Two

But all was not lost! Despite these changes, my motivation and drive to keep moving forward were as strong as ever. Very quickly I made some wonderful new connections that turned the tides and guided the intended journey into a wonderful new direction.

New adventure

I am very excited and grateful to share that I am now joining forces with Rotaryclub Hilversum-West and Rotaryclub Kusadasi-Turkey to raise money and awareness for the “Empowerment of women in rural areas in Hatay”. This project provides all kinds of necessities for women in agriculture, who lost it all in the earthquakes. From seeds and grains to usable land. I will pedal forth all the way to Ipsala Kapisi while taking all of you with me through content and little snippets I’ll share along the way.

Rotary clubs in various cities will welcome me and we’ll get the chance to connect with one another. Rotarians believe in Service Above Self and that’s exactly what this project of empowering women in rural areas embodies. I feel honored to be a part of such a wonderful project and aim to give not just women, but all people, more hope and strength by showing how resilient people can be when we work together and show solidarity.