We Need to Talk Association has been fighting against period poverty and menstruation stigma in Turkey since 2016, under the leadership of İlayda Eskitaşçıoğlu and Bahar Aldanmaz Fidan, with the support of its team members, volunteers, donors, and sponsors.
OUR MISSION
We are aware that period poverty is much more than the problem of accessing menstrual products. With this awareness, we continue working towards our three main goals.
1. Enhancing the accessibility, quality, and sustainability of menstrual products in Turkey
2. Disseminating data collection and educational content creation on period poverty and menstruation experiences in Turkey
3. Adding comprehensive menstruation and sex education to the National Education Curriculum
OUR TEAM
İlayda Eskitaşçıoğlu
Co-Founder
İlayda Eskitaşcioğlu Karavelioğlu is a human rights lawyer and a menstrual justice activist.
She received her Ph.D. in international human rights law at Koç University in İstanbul, Turkey, and served as a research fellow at the Koç University UNESCO Chair for Gender Equality and Sustainable Development and KOÇ-KAM Gender Studies Center. Her Ph.D. dissertation is about a comparative analysis of the business and human rights mechanisms in Türkiye, Colombia, and South Africa from a gender perspective.
She has served as a member of UN Women’s Generation Equality Youth Task Force and is currently serving as one of the 17 Young Leaders for Sustainable Development Goals, endorsed by the United Nations, as well as an international consultant for UN Women.
She is the co-founder and president of We Need to Talk, an association that aims to fight against period poverty and menstruation stigma in Turkey. She co-authored a children’s book titled “Let’s Talk: Menstruation
Bahar Aldanmaz
Co-Founder
Bahar Aldanmaz is a Ph.D. Candidate in sociology at Boston University, with a research focus on global health, development, gender, and menstrual justice. Her doctoral research investigates the complex relationships between natural disasters, anti-gender movements, and efforts to promote gender equality, specifically examining the aftermath of recent earthquakes
in Türkiye.
As a co-founder of the Konuşmamız Gerek Association, Bahar is dedicated to advancing menstrual justice in Türkiye. Her written work encompasses a wide range of topics within reproductive justice and includes publications in Think Global Health, Health Policy,
Kadın/Woman 2000, and Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society.
Bahar has also co-authored a children’s book titled “Let’s Talk: Menstruation” designed to provide information to Turkish-speaking children and their caregivers.
Dilara Gümüş
Youth Advocacy Worker
Dilara Gümüş holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Anadolu University.
During her undergraduate studies, she participated in various academic research and field studies focusing on gender equality, population sociology, and migration studies. She worked with the Roma population at the Hacettepe University Institute of Population Studies and contributed as a researcher at the Marmara University Institute of Population and Social Studies.
In her undergraduate thesis, she explored the practice of “gold days” in Turkey from a feminist perspective, examining gender relations within these social gatherings. As part of the MEF University Yetkin Gençler (Competent Youth) Program, she worked on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of “Clean Water and Sanitation.”
She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Sociology at Mersin University. As the Youth Programs Facilitator at We Need to Talk Association (Konuşmamız Gerek Derneği), Dilara coordinates youth-focused initiatives that empower young people to engage in menstrual-related advocacy and rights-based participation. Through the youth programs she leads, she supports young people in taking leadership roles in advocacy processes.
Fer Özgüler
Strategy Consultant
Fer Özgüler completed a double major in Business Administration and Economics at Boğaziçi University.
She holds master’s degrees in Global Finance from NYU Stern School of Business and Behavioral Decision Science from Kingston University.
In addition to her career, which began in the finance sector and continues with corporate change consultancy, Fer has focused her volunteer work on gender equality and women’s human rights since 1992, starting with a UN DESA project.
Since 2014, she has contributed as a strategy consultant and change catalyst to numerous NGOs and social enterprises, and has held various roles, including founding partnerships in consumer and women’s cooperative enterprises.
She continues to mentor corporate change and has been serving as the Strategy Consultant at Konuşmamız Gerek Association since 2023.
Yüksel Aybacı Serinel
Community Engagement Specialist
Yüksel Aybacı Serinel graduated with honors from the Psychology department of Çağ University and pursued a double major in sociology. Following her graduation, she has worked in institutions such as Acıbadem Hospital, Sevgi Evleri (Children’s Protection Center), Metro Hospital, Rehabilitation Centers, kindergarten, and private counseling centers.
Yüksel has completed her training in Post-Disaster Psychosocial Support, Psychological First Aid, and Crisis Intervention, offering support in disaster-stricken areas. Beyond her psychology degree, she aims to enhance her professional development through therapy training, volunteer work, and field experience.
Yüksel is interested in gender equality, period poverty, and comprehensive sexuality education. She works as the Community Engagement Specialist at We Need to Talk Association, where she focuses on cultivating and enhancing relationships with local women’s organizations in the southern cities of Turkey.
N. Zeynep Kayacan
Coordinatör
N. Zeynep Kayacan is a sexual and reproductive health and rights advocate with a B.A. in psychology from the Pennsylvania State University.
She believes in comprehensive sexuality education that provides young people with a necessary toolkit of knowledge, attitudes, and skills to protect and advocate for their health. As the coordinator of We Need to Talk Association, she develops programs addressing period poverty and menstrual stigma in Turkey and builds transformative youth communities. She creates and facilitates safe spaces to challenge social taboos and strengthen access to health services, while also providing supervision within field practices.
She is a sexual health educator at the Turkish Family Health and Planning Foundation. She is currently enrolled in the Satir Transformational Systemic Couple and Family Therapy Training Program, and takes part in the Satir Research Group led by Dr. Nesteren Gazioğlu. To enhance her trauma-informed fieldwork, she was selected for the 7th International Trauma Studies Basic and Clinical Level Certificate Program, coordinated by World Human Relief. She also receives supervision in art therapy based psychosocial support under the training program of clinical psychologist Ceren Atmaca.
HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT US?
Donation
You can support our work by donating money or menstrual products to the We Need to Talk Association.
Volunteering
You can contribute to the efforts of We Need to Talk by dedicating your time, effort, and knowledge.
Sponsorship and Collaboration
Our door is always open to sponsorship, project, and field collaborations. You can contact us for your individual and corporate sponsorship proposals.