Programs & Projects

The Livelihoods Innovation through Food Entrepreneurship (LIFE) Project, funded by the U.S. Government, supported Syrian refugees and members of host communities in Turkey in launching and growing food businesses. From 2017 to 2020, WDI collaborated with a consortium led by the Center for International Private Enterprise, alongside IDEMA, Union Kitchen, and The Stimson Center.

As part of the LIFE Project, Turkey’s first food business incubators were launched in Istanbul and Mersin. These Food Enterprise Centers (FECs) provided shared kitchen space and served as collaborative hubs for entrepreneurship training, food innovation, and gastrodiplomacy—promoting cross-cultural exchange and people-to-people connection through food.

WDI led the design and development of a comprehensive entrepreneurship curriculum and facilitated “Train the Trainer” (ToT) workshops for local incubator staff in Istanbul and Mersin. These sessions strengthened instructional capacity and prepared trainers to support food entrepreneurs at every stage of their business journey—from conceptualizing a product or service through launch and scale-up.

In 2019, a WDI team traveled to Istanbul and Mersin to lead training workshops, participate in a pitch competition for emerging entrepreneurs, and interview program alumni. Highlights from that trip are captured in a video.

When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted in-person programming, WDI worked closely with implementing partner IDEMA to adapt the training to an online format. In response to new challenges, WDI also organized a resilience-building webinar series led by a WDI faculty affiliate, covering topics such as mentorship and personal adaptability.

WDI also developed four short teaching cases spotlighting LIFE Project participants and their entrepreneurial journeys, available free of charge through WDI Publishing.

Through this multi-year engagement, WDI helped build sustainable livelihoods, foster job creation, and promote cross-cultural collaboration in Turkey’s dynamic food sector.

You can learn more about the LIFE project here.