Projects: Sewing Courses for Women

• Many widows and single mothers have been trained in the sewing profession, allowing them to improve their living conditions.

• Students attended each course for 6 weeks (8 hrs. per week).

• At the end of the course, each woman received a sewing machine and certificate of completion for the course.

• These courses proved successful and helped many women find a much-needed job.

After the death of their husbands, who are usually the main source of financial security for them and their children, Iraqi women are left with no one to support them financially. Because they often lack education and valuable work skills, they find it difficult to earn an income on their own.

Many of the widows we support are illiterate. Although they possess the passion to become independent, they often lack the skills they need due to poverty, early marriage, and misinformed cultural traditions.

Classes such as this provide hope for the women, many of whom can continue to use the skills they learned to earn an income of their own and support their families.