Global Engineer Girls (GEG) is an international philanthropic initiative that aims to inspire the next generation of female engineers. The inception of GEG was driven by Limak Group of Companies’ culture and its Chairperson’s, Ebru Özdemir, deep personal commitment to improving women’s representation in STEM. GEG provides girls and women with education, mentorship and career opportunities in Turkey, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Kuwait and beyond.
GEG’s predecessor, the Engineer Girls of Turkey (EGT), was launched in Turkey in 2015. Its founder, Ebru Özdemir, said at the time that “Engineering isn’t a man’s world anymore. Through the EGT project, we target the disproportionate representation of women at both academic and professional levels”. The project started as a way of supporting female engineering students with scholarships, mentoring and professional development courses but over time developed into an initiative that advocates for gender equality and women’s empowerment in Turkey, adopting a collaborative and inclusive approach, and integrating engagement from both public and private sectors, internationally and domestically.
After seven successful years of growth within Turkey, the EGT project expanded globally, renamed Global Engineer Girls (GEG), reflecting its goal of extending its impact to an international level.
Since its inception in 2015, the GEG university programme has benefited 710 young women by providing support for female students enrolled in chemical, civil, computer, electrical-electronic, environmental, industrial, and mechanical engineering departments in Turkish universities. This support has included funded scholarships and mentoring by hundreds of professional volunteers, as well as online training programmes, soft skills and English language courses, internships, and employment opportunities at Limak’s companies and partner companies.
GEG’s activities focus on increasing the number of women engineers, growing the number of female graduates within engineering fields, and closing the gender pay gap. To achieve these objectives, GEG is developing partnerships with international and local organisations and educational institutions.
GEG’s mentors, supporters, ambassadors and advisers help to shape and guide the hopes and ambitions of young female engineers who often need to challenge the status quo and tackle gender bias.
Through its current and future initiatives, GEG is changing how female engineers are regarded by their male counterparts, employers, business partners and collaborators. GEG doesn’t just empower its participants, it also helps their families, employers, and communities. The GEG journey is one of inspiration, inclusiveness, innovation and lasting, sustainable impact. It is a community that continues to flourish through its shared values, its inspiring leadership, and its dedication to the empowerment of girls and women, irrespective of their background.