As the rise of ISIS forced people to flee their homes, tens of thousands of internally-displaced people sought refuge in camps in northern Iraq. The majority of refugees and IDPs came from small villages, where most of the female population were unable to attend school due to traditional, conservative policies, a lack of financial resources, plus a history of conflict. With many of the women now solely responsible for their families, a lack of education has potentially disastrous consequences for their futures.
When the Lotus Flower arrived at Rwanga Community camp, our team spoke with many female IDPs who had to stay at home with their families but had a desire for education. In order to meet this, we created a women’s adult literacy course to teach students how to read and write in Arabic and Kurdish. The courses target beginner and intermediate-level students and we provide all materials, including stationery and textbooks. Since then, we have expanded our adult literacy courses to operate in each of our centres, serving a diverse community of refugee and IDP women.
The main objective of the literacy course is to provide a safe and supportive environment for women who were unable to attend school earlier in their lives to learn how to read and write. By the end of the course, they are able to comprehend the alphabet, numbers, and write simple sentences.
Basic literacy not only opens the door to further educational opportunities, but also acts as a platform to raise awareness on women’s rights and health education, while providing necessary skills for future employment. Course graduates have the opportunity to engage more confidently with the community and participate in new ways. Since launching in January 2017, the literacy course has become one of the most popular programmes at the Lotus Flower centres, with new requests to attend every day.
CASE STUDY
Monifa is one woman we support who suffered from depression and other psychological disorders after her marriage ended in 2015. She had never had the chance of an education before, so when she had the chance to take part in our adult literacy course, she decided to give it a go. “I’m so happy that I can read and put words and sentences together at last,” Monifa says. “Learning the Kurdish alphabet, words and sentences for the first time was so interesting.”
She adds: “I have enjoyed being introduced to so many other women, too. People thought my age excluded me from learning, but to me, education has nothing to do with age. I didn’t fulfil my dream to study when I was a child because of traditions that obligated me to marry instead, but now I have the chance to learn new things.”