Sidra learnt what it meant to leave a country behind when she was only 14 years old. In 2016, due to internal conflict and insecurity in her country, she had to come to Türkiye with her family. This was not just a migration; it was a turning point that deeply changed the course of her life.
A new country, a new language, a new system… And within her, a desire waiting to be fulfilled: “I want to study.”
She restarted school in Türkiye. But financial difficulties, language barrier, and the weight of the adaptation process soon interrupted that newly emerging path, and Sidra’s education was once again disrupted.
This time, more deeply.
Because she was no longer just a student. She was the eldest child in the family.
Responsibility made her grow up early. During this time, she got married. As the days began to resemble one another, that familiar sentence quietly remained within her: “I have to continue.” Over time, this sentence became more than a desire, it became the direction of her life.
Despite her husband’s opposition, she received the support of her parents and enrolled in an open high school program. This was not just a return to education; it was a way of reclaiming her life and rediscovering her own voice.
At this very point, upon a friend’s recommendation, she was introduced to ADA Türkiye partner SGDD-ASAM’s Ankara Community Centre co-funded by the EU and BMZ.
At first, she went to the centre to enrol in only one course, and then she joined the computer course offered by the organisation. Every new thing she learned turned not only into a new skill, but also into a sense of confidence growing within.
“After coming here, I started to feel stronger.” This sentence was the simplest and most genuine expression of her transformation.
Over time, the centre became much more than a space for her. Joining the speaking club helped her deepen her vocabulary, while her voice gained clarity. She became productive in the workshops. And perhaps for the first time, her dreams began to be translated into concrete reality.
Sidra wanted to become a computer engineer. She was no longer dreaming; she was working toward her goals. A small skill she learned in the knitting and sewing workshops turned into a bigger idea in her mind. The discipline she developed through knitting and sewing, combined with her interest in computers, opened a completely new path for her. Now, her goal is to grow on what she has learned, forge her own path, and stand on her own feet.
What Sidra is presently building is not just a job, but her own life. “First, I want to prove myself to myself, not to anyone else,” she says.
Today, with the guidance of ADA Türkiye partner SGDD-ASAM’s Ankara Community Centre, Sidra started her training under the Building Bright Futures (PARGEL) project. Inspired by the knitting and sewing workshop she attended at the centre, her goal is to complete the training, write a grant project, and take her first step into business life.
She summarizes everything in one sentence:
“I didn’t start from where I left off, but from what I felt inside.”
The CLIP project is co-financed by the European Humanitarian Aid (DG ECHO) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). To date, more than 16.000 participants have enrolled in the non-formal education courses offered by CLIP’s implementing partners, and more than 3.000 activities were carried out in the scope of the project to promote social cohesion between the communities.
