Sisters’ Stories: “It’s hard to express the happiness and hope this project gave me”

Ghayda is a 22-year-old Yazidi girl from Bashiqa, whose father was a successful beekeeper before he lost everything in the ISIS attacks.

In the aftermath of the conflict, Ghayda found herself stuck at home and suffering from feelings of depression and despair. However, when she decided to participate in beekeeping training conducted by a local organisation, things began to turn around for her. In addition to what she had learned from her father over the years, the training gave her a good theoretical background on caring for bees and making honey.

Having always clung to the hope that she would be able to start her own beekeeping business and engage her father in the practice again, Ghayda recently had the opportunity to take part in our business management and training project, which is kindly supported by Stiftung Entwicklungs-Zusammenarbeit Baden-Württemberg (SEZ).

The training and business grant Ghayda received meant she was able to kickstart her dream, and thanks to support from our psychosocial facilitator, she refused to let any negative feedback stop her. Rather than accepting gender stereotypes which imply that females are not acceptable or qualified to run such a business, she insisted on being part of the change. “I became completely convinced that females can run businesses just as well as males, and that they can even do it better,” she says.

As well as keeping bees, Ghayda now has ambitious plans to establish a sweet-making business which can operate during their hibernation period. She has also found herself sharing mental health advice and life skills with other women she knows.

Overall she has found the experience has really changed her life for the better, and says: “The Lotus Flower provided me with an opportunity to work in the beekeeping field and it’s hard to express the happiness and hope this project gave me.

“I also got rid of my depression and I now have strong self-confidence and am more aware of everything.”

Through this project, we have been able to provide financial grants to 50 women like Ghayda, as well as psychosocial support and awareness of critical topics such as gender-based violence. As a result, the women have not only elevated their income but also become better able to care for their families, without relying on external assistance. It has also sparked wider engagement, inspiring more women to step forward and contribute to the collective growth of their communities. 

We’re so pleased with how this programme has turned out and will share more stories from it soon…