Women's non-governmental organizations (NGOs) engage in undertakings related to public issues such as education, health, politics, and culture. They vary in legal and fiscal organization and seek funding according to their legal status (Çızakça 2000). Today, there are 90,000 associations and 5,000 foundations in Turkey. Foundations existed in the Ottoman Empire and a variety of associations were established in modern Turkey. The earthquakes of 1999 had a great influence on the formation of NGOs.

The history of women's NGOs can be found as early as 1908 in the Ottoman …