Sisters' Stories: "Women and girls are strong enough to make radical changes in their community"

Fatima is an incredibly courageous young woman who we’ve been able to support through one of our livelihoods projects with SEZ.

Originally from a village in the district of Bashiqa, she is a survivor of physical and psychological violence, and was forced to quit her studies at university by an abusive husband.

Fatima eventually got divorced, but then suffered more misfortune when she fell ill with a tumour. She managed to keep studying despite a gruelling hospital treatment programme, and thankfully, she eventually recovered and was able to graduate.

A year later Fatima remarried, and after her father bought a house for her and her new husband, she decided to seek employment to help stave off depression she was experiencing.

It was then that she applied for our livelihoods opportunity in Bashiqa, which saw her participate in business management training. She was then able to embark on a career in photography, and soon afterwards opened her own ‘Sama Studio’ in her village. As well as offering photography, printing and framing services to clients, she sells stationery items to students, and now earns a modest income to support herself and her husband.

Having made a success of her business, Fatima says: “This was the first chance I had to use my skills practically. I am convinced that women and girls are strong enough to make radical changes in their community, and now most people accept the idea that they can run a business successfully.”

Fatima is pleased to have become something of a role model for other women and girls in her area, and she has also written essays and articles about social and domestic issues for Iraqi and Kuwaiti newspapers.

SEZ, also known as the Baden-Württemberg Development Cooperation Foundation, has been one of our key partners since 2020. Together, we have delivered multiple several successful projects, including awareness-raising around the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. And as a huge supporter of our Women’s Business Incubator programme, SEZ has helped us change the lives of many other women like Fatima.

We hope to keep creating such opportunities for a long time to come!