The "Support Programs for Rural Women" panel, coordinated by Prof. Handan KUMAŞ of the Department of Labour Economics and Industrial Relations at Pamukkale University's Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, was held on March 6, 2026 at the Honaz Public Education Center. The panel opened with welcoming remarks by Honaz District Governor Vahit YILMAZ and Honaz Mayor Yüksel KEPENEK, followed by presentations from KOSGEB, TKDK, İŞKUR and Soroptimist Club representatives on support mechanisms for rural women entrepreneurs.
The Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences at Pamukkale University continued its tradition of holding a flagship event ahead of International Women's Day, this year choosing Honaz district as the venue. The panel, developed in collaboration with Denizli district governorships and public agencies, gathered district residents, institutional representatives, neighbourhood heads (muhtars), members of the Labour Economics Society, and students of the Department of Labour Economics and Industrial Relations.
Honaz District Governor Vahit YILMAZ and Honaz Mayor Yüksel KEPENEK opened the programme with welcoming remarks before four speakers presented the full landscape of support available to women entrepreneurs in rural areas. Sadullah DÜLGER, Provincial Director of KOSGEB Denizli, outlined entrepreneurship support programmes; Bilal TAŞTEPE, Provincial Coordinator of the Agricultural and Rural Development Support Institution (TKDK), detailed project grants and co-financing opportunities; and Çağrı ÇELİKTAŞ, Provincial Director of the Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR), presented vocational training initiatives alongside entrepreneurship grants of up to 550,000 TL available to individuals with disabilities and former convicts.
Meltem BALABAN, President of the Denizli Soroptimist Club and faculty member at PAU Faculty of Technology's Department of Biomedical Engineering, addressed women's economic empowerment from a civil-society perspective, sharing examples of projects implemented in the Bozkurt and Buldan districts. DÜLGER and TAŞTEPE focused specifically on application procedures, support categories, and success cases for women seeking to establish or grow a rural business.
The panel, which also featured hands-on craft activities organised by Soroptimist Club members together with children and women attendees, concluded with a question-and-answer session and a book presentation by Prof. KUMAŞ to a participant from Honaz.