The Hope Caravan Foundation (Umut Kervanı Vakfı) has opened a social market in Diyarbakır’s Kayapınar district to help families in need access essential goods while preserving their dignity.

Located in the Peyas neighborhood, the market was inaugurated at a ceremony attended by political party representatives, nongovernmental organizations, philanthropists and local residents.

The ceremony began with a recitation from the Holy Quran, followed by welcoming remarks from M. Emin Akyüz, head of the foundation’s Diyarbakır branch. Cengiz Kurtaran, the foundation’s general president, then outlined the purpose of the initiative, its ongoing assistance to vulnerable families and plans to expand the social market network across Türkiye.

Kurtaran said the Diyarbakır facility was the foundation’s eighth social market. The organization has already opened three in Istanbul and one each in Bursa, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa and Van.

“We hope to provide high-quality services to families in need through our new social market in Diyarbakır,” Kurtaran said.

Kurtaran stressed that the initiative was intended not only to provide essential goods but also to ensure that families could receive assistance without feeling embarrassed or compromising their dignity.

“Our main priority in opening these social markets is to protect the dignity of families, ease any embarrassment they may feel and allow them to meet their needs without feeling uncomfortable,” he said.

The foundation plans to establish social markets in all 36 provinces where its local associations operate, Kurtaran added, describing the expansion as a medium-term goal.

He also said the organization hoped to open additional facilities in Diyarbakır’s central districts of Sur, Bağlar and Yenişehir, noting that transportation can make it difficult for families in large cities to access assistance.

Emphasizing the importance of solidarity and mutual support, Kurtaran said the foundation wanted to reach families facing hardship and help them meet their needs in the best possible way.

Explaining how the new facility would operate, Kurtaran said families would be able to visit with their children, take shopping carts and select the items they needed, just as they would in an ordinary supermarket.

The market will provide a range of essential goods, including food, breakfast products, cleaning supplies, stationery and seasonal clothing.

“Our aim is for families in need to come here with their children, take a shopping cart and walk through the aisles as they would in any other market, choosing the items they need,” he said.

He added that the foundation intended to expand the initiative to more provinces and make its support for vulnerable families sustainable over the long term.

Kurtaran thanked the employees, volunteers, philanthropists and other supporters who had contributed to establishing the market, emphasizing that continued community involvement would be essential to keeping it running.

“What matters to us is ensuring that this service continues,” he said, calling on people to contribute their time, resources or other forms of support according to their means.

The ceremony concluded with a ribbon-cutting accompanied by prayers. Guests then toured the facility and inspected the market’s sections.

Through the initiative, the Hope Caravan Foundation aims to make essential goods more accessible to families experiencing financial hardship while strengthening solidarity and mutual assistance within the community. (ILKHA)