For whom: Women and children of Tokat Keşlik village
With whom: AÇEV, Volunteers and employees of AÇEV (Mother Child Education Foundation), university students, local craftsmen, village women and children, local volunteers
When: 2014
Blog: https://tokatkadinvecocukmekanlari.tumblr.com
We have been running a project called as ‘Women and Children Spaces’ with AÇEV for 5 villages of Tokat since summer 2014. AÇEV is continuing its works in 24 villages of Tokat since 2012, in a collaboration with UBS as part of “An Equal Start For Children In Rural Zones” project. As a part of this project 5 villages have been chosen to work on, Keşlik Village was the first one that we started to design and build.
For the projects that runned at Keşlik, Ayvalı, Ormandibi, Akın and Güryıldız villages, we worked on abandoned buildings which had different usages. The old school in Keşlik Village was built in 1965 and closed in 2008. A short time ago the roof, walls and repairments of the frames was made by the Directorate of National Education, so that we started the design process by taking villager women’s wills for the interior design of the building. The current building had a big room, a small room with a kitchenette and a small entrance hall and the women required a space for meetings, a theatre stage, a computer room and -space for preschool kids as a plus to education spaces.
After the brainstorming that held with AÇEV’s project and field managers we came up with the idea on designing removable units that will provide solutions to different problems. In this context, for both of the rooms, we designed modular cupboards by OSB plates, used stain ropes from opposing sides of the wall and placed movable lightings, table from solid pine wood with detachable tops, foldable chairs, foldable computer desk, placing pallets that would help to create a theater stage and playground for children inside and outside of the building. And for the entrance we designed a shoe cupboard from OSB plates, a seat from solid pine wood and some hangers. Also we agreed on having a new floor covering thinking that shoes won’t be used inside the building.
The Keşlik Village Project that started in June 2014 is finished with the construction workshop in November, altogether with the craftsmen of Tokat, HiM members, AÇEV managers, university student volunteers and Keşlik Village neighbors. As the following steps of the project there will be a design workshop in February 2015 and a construction workshop in March 2015 Ormandibi and Ayvalı villages. Starting from the design process all of the works will be done with volunteered university students.
We would like to thank AÇEV and especially the project manager Emine Kuzutürk who invited and host us to Keşlik Village Women and Children Spaces Project, the project sponsor UBS optimus foundation, all the inhibitors of Keşlik Village and the volunteers.
You may check the project booklet from here. And here you can find the photo album of the project.
Project Team: Ceren Bek, Emre Gündoğdu, Merve Gül Özokcu, Merve Güzel, Sarper Takkeci, Yasemin Sünbül
