The Women and Democracy Foundation (KADEM) is a leading civil society organization in Türkiye, established on 8 March 2013, with the mission of building a secure society where women can live with dignity and aim for a fair future. The foundation advocates the principle “equality in existence, justice in responsibility” and actively puts into practice concrete and sustainable solutions regarding women’s rights and family issues. While KADEM aims to increase women’s representation at every level of social life, it also contributes to the academic literature with its original discourse about gender issues.
KADEM's core focus areas are academic contribution by providing original inputs to strengthen the literature in the area of women's studies, advocacy to promote women's rights and to engage in civil activism, combating violence to provide a solution to all kinds of violence against women, and equal opportunities by providing women with equal opportunities in education, health, leadership, and other life spheres.
KADEM also joined the international platform and participated in the W20 summit, launched within the G20 summit hosted by Türkiye. This participation once again demonstrated KADEM’s firm commitment to solving women’s issues, not only within their country but also on an international scale.
In accordance with its mission, KADEM is carrying out numerous projects, events, and campaigns for the advancement of women. One of the most remarkable is the Future Career Project, launched by KADEM in 2016, targeting girls between 16 and 18 years old who reside in Children’s Support Centers and lack access to formal education. In cooperation with the Ministry of Family and Social Services, the Ministry of National Education, and various public institutions in Türkiye, this project provides girls who face institutional and social neglect, and even exploitation, with vocational training and psychosocial support. Through the Future Career Project, KADEM aims to help these young women dream of a better future and acquire the necessary skills to change their lives.
This is not to say that KADEM’s impactful work has gone unnoticed on the international scene. On October 1, 2024, the foundation was celebrated at the Girls’ Human Rights Awards 2024 in London, organized by the U.K.-based Girls Human Rights Hub (GHRH). The high-profile event recognized organizations and individuals working in various fields to empower girls and protect their rights. KADEM received first place in the Champion for Equality and Equity for Girls category, primarily for its valuable contributions toward promoting equal opportunities in education, health, and leadership.
A member of KADEM’s board of directors, Zeynep Kevser Şerefoğlu Danış, represented the foundation at the award ceremony. “Within the context of the Future Career Project, 165 girls have been successfully taught essential skills such as computer operations, diction, fast typing, and general accounting,” she explained. “Of these participants, 118 completed their training successfully, and 80 have started working in partner institutions.” The project represents yet another example of how KADEM supports talented, entrepreneurial, and qualified women in shaping their futures with hope and determination.
Danış underlined that the Future Career Project is cooperative; it was very important to act in cooperation with the governmental ministries and public institutions of Türkiye. She said, "We believe that these young girls can dream and change their lives if they get the basic education and skills necessary, together with psychosocial support, and can transform their education into production."
This is not the first time KADEM has marked significant milestones in its journey toward empowering women. It will be remembered as the very first women’s civil society organization to be awarded the EFQM Excellence in Performance 5-Star Competence Certificate during the Türkiye Excellence Awards Ceremony on November 21-22, 2023. The Turkish Quality Association, KalDer, bestowed this recognition as a token of KADEM’s dedication to quality service delivery and its impact on advancing the cause of women’s rights. The chairwoman, Assoc. Prof. Saliha Okur Gümrükçüoğlu, received the certificate and proudly declared that KADEM is raising its standards in women’s rights advocacy with the EFQM model, making the impact measurable for society and ensuring that actions align with strategic planning.
So far, KADEM has been implementing a series of programs aimed at the development and empowerment of women. Among them is the Women’s Empowerment Program, which trains and equips women entrepreneurs with the resources needed to establish their businesses and contribute to the economy. Another notable initiative is the Safe City Project, which focuses on enhancing safety for women in public spaces, advocating for policy changes, and raising awareness about the need for a secure environment for all women.
In addition to providing education and vocational training, other foundation initiatives focus on advocating for women’s rights, objectively calling for the necessary societal changes. KADEM strives to create an ecosystem that supports and empowers women by fostering skill development, entrepreneurship, and safety, ensuring a holistic approach to their advancement.
The event was attended by prominent human rights lawyers and representatives of civil society, including Sultana Tafadar, the founder of GHRH. Tafadar emphasized the urgent need for global change to empower girls, revealing that 129 million girls are out of school and one in three has experienced some form of violence. KADEM’s Future Career Project is an example of the initiatives needed to ensure that no girl is left on the margins of neglect. The award given to KADEM during the Girls' Human Rights Awards is a reflection of its critical contribution in promoting girls' empowerment and seeking gender equality at both national and international levels. KADEM’s commitment to building an equal and just society inspires hope and drives progress for women, shaping a new generation of change.
Edited by: Derya Selin Yener