In the early 20th century, the city of Constantinople was a multicultural center at the literal crossroads of Europe and Asia. An estimated 3,200 Armenian refugees came to Constantinople in 1920 and 1921 with many more still on the way. Widowed by the horrors of the Armenian Genocide, many of the women refugees were forced to leave their children at home alone while they looked for work throughout the day. A solution was critically needed.