KÖYKAL (Improving the Quality of Life in the Village) PROJECT
PURPOSE OF THE FOUNDATION: To raise awareness and quality of life, sensitivity, education, responsibility and service of human and the society. To serve humanity in achieving a conscious society that has implemented high universal values such as consensus, peace, freedom, equality and democracy, and to contribute to national and universal peace by cooperating with people and institutions that embrace this ideal.
One of the projects prepared in this context is the Köykal Project, which was prepared and implemented with the aim of improving the quality of life in a selected village.
Hisarköy, chosen among the 23 villages visited for this purpose, is located in the Balaban Valley, 55 km from Ankara, in Yahşihan district of Kırıkkale province. 350 people live in the village with 75 households. It is adjacent to villages such as Edige, Deliler, Kuşcuali, Taburlar, Kılıçlar, Süleymanlı, Y.Kamışlar and A.Kamışlar.
KÖYKAL PROJECT’S PURPOSE: To improve Hisar village in economic, socio-cultural and environmental-spatial aspects after evaluating its existing infrastructure and to create an exemplary work in Turkey by pioneering the “Improvement of the Quality of Life in the Village” that will prevent migration from village to city.
STRATEGY OF THE PROJECT: To be based on the principles of entrepreneurship and sustainability. To be based on cooperation with the public private sector and non-governmental organizations.
GOALS OF THE PROJECT:
- To contribute to the formation of citizenship awareness.
- To prepare the ground for village people to increase their self-confidence.
- To beautify the village without damaging its existing natural resources and social values.
- To prepare the ground for village people to become both producers and market finders by providing themwith vocational skills.
- To contribute to the improvement of settlement and living conditions by protecting the ecological balance of natural resources and restoring the natural balances that have deteriorated. Thus, to increase the Quality of Life in the village.
The objectives of the project are to collect the above-mentioned needs under 3 basic headings, primarily to improve the total quality of life of the village;
To evaluate and detail the
- Economic (E),
- Socio-Cultural (SK) and
- Environmental-Spatial (ES) dimensions and to ensure the realization of the project mission by creating necessary solution suggestions for these goals.
STRUCTURE OF THE PROJECT: A volunteer team of approximately 40 people, consisting of Project Steering Committee working groups, village representatives and consultants, worked on this project.
TERMINATION OF THE PROJECT:
MAIN OUTCOMES OF THE PROJECT: Although there are many sub-items under three main headings, in summary;
- A road was built.
- A library was established.
- Organic farming was started.
- A cooperative was established.
- The health center was equipped and health days were organized.
- Adult trainings were carried out.
KÖYKAL Project Completion Summary:
Köykal Project, which started in 2000 in Hisarköy, Kırıkkale/Yahşihan, was completed at the end of 2003. Throughout the project, we worked with the public in Hisarköy and the objectives of the project were updated from time to time, taking into account feasibility principles.
Working Groups Planned Realized
- Economic Development 6 goals 6 goals
- Socio-Cultural Restructuring 12 goals 10 goals
- Environmental-Spatial Renewal. 8 goals 8 goals
Post-Project Studies: The project was presented and introduced in “Solutions to Türkiye’s Problems V Conference” and to the people of Kırıkkale at the “Kırıkkale in the 21st Century Symposium”. The project and Hisarköy were featured in the local and foreign press and some television channels and were used as a successful exemplary project. The project evaluation result report was submitted to the Governorship as an example for other projects.
Hisarköy participated in the “Women Farmers Competing” program first in Kırıkkale city and then in the Central Anatolia Region and won the first place.
