Earth Sisters
Supported by the German Federal Foreign Office in Erbil, Earth Sisters aims to upskill and increase the capacity of women and girls in Duhok on climate change and its links to gender-based violence.
The project is part of our core Climate Change pillar, which we launched earlier this year, and has seen 50 Earth Sisters trained in order to highlight gender injustices, women’s rights, and crucially, the vital role women and girls can play in climate change response.
Supported by the German Federal Foreign Office in Erbil, Earth Sisters aims to upskill and increase the capacity of women and girls in Duhok on climate change and its links to gender-based violence.
The project is part of our core Climate Change pillar, which we launched earlier this year, and has seen 50 Earth Sisters trained in order to highlight gender injustices, women’s rights, and crucially, the vital role women and girls can play in climate change response.
Following the training, they will lead a range of initiatives to raise community awareness about environmental issues affecting the region, which will be facilitated and supported by the Lotus Flower. They will also increase awareness of the ways in which climate change exacerbates GBV, while also identifying ways of reducing the risks.
Earth Sisters is especially important as Iraq has been ranked as the fifth most vulnerable country in the world to the effects of climate change. The country is facing impacts of large population growth, multiple wars and poor land planning, as well as higher temperatures and decreasing rainfall.
CASE STUDY
Mahabad is one of the first women to take part in the project, and she says: “Being chosen as one of the 50 Earth Sisters made me happy, and I was very excited to participate in the training sessions – to gain knowledge, meet new friends and stop the process of overthinking which I had been suffering from.”
The Lotus Flower School Garden
Our School Garden at Domiz 2 camp is a unique environmental stewardship scheme, designed to equip 80 children and young people with the skills they need to play a role in changing behaviours and attitudes towards climate change in their communities.
With a varied and diverse botanical zone, the garden has more than 1,200 plants, ranging from ornamental trees to flowers, cacti and fruit trees, and the youths are learning how to grow and nurture plants and vegetables themselves, while receiving educational classes about our precious environment.
Our School Garden at Domiz 2 camp is a unique environmental stewardship scheme, designed to equip 80 children and young people with the skills they need to play a role in changing behaviours and attitudes towards climate change in their communities.
With a varied and diverse botanical zone, the garden has more than 1,200 plants, ranging from ornamental trees to flowers, cacti and fruit trees, and the youths are learning how to grow and nurture plants and vegetables themselves, while receiving educational classes about our precious environment.
Image courtesy of CARE
The garden forms part of our She Leads in Food Security project and aims to deliver lasting change in the lives of children. Many young people in refugee and IDP camps have never seen seeds sprout or vegetables grow before, but through the school garden they can experience the rewards of fresh produce and understand natural growth cycles — from the initial seeding process to harvesting healthy, ready-to-eat food.
Our She Leads in Food Security project is being delivered in partnership with CARE Iraq, through funding from BMZ with implementation by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
She Leads in Food Security
As the very first project to sit under our Climate Change pillar, we launched ‘She Leads in Food Security’ in early 2023 to enhance the food security and economic status of IDPs, refugees and returnees in Sinjar district.
The project focuses on climate-smart agriculture and income-generating initiatives, as well as large-scale awareness around issues relating to nutrition, food wastage, food preservation and environmental issues.
As the very first project to sit under our Climate Change pillar, we launched ‘She Leads in Food Security’ in early 2023 to enhance the food security and economic status of IDPs, refugees and returnees in Sinjar district.
The project focuses on climate-smart agriculture and income-generating initiatives, as well as large-scale awareness around issues relating to nutrition, food wastage, food preservation and environmental issues.
To launch the project, we trained 10 female community Food Security Ambassadors, whose role is to raise women’s knowledge of food security. They subsequently trained 400 women and youths at our in-camp centres. This was followed by business training for 200 women and 50 men, using the Gender and Entrepreneurship Together (GET Ahead) program, which aims to remove the many barriers women face in starting businesses.
Food security is of increasing concern in Iraq and Kurdistan due to multiple socio and economic challenges – including the pandemic and associated job loss, plus the impact of the Ukraine conflict which has caused steep food price rises. Not only that, but lower than usual seasonal rainfall, rising temperatures and failing crops have all worsened the plight of the most vulnerable when it comes to food supply. In fact, the 2022 Humanitarian Needs Overview for Iraq stated that more than 82% of IDPs in camps are vulnerable to food insecurity.
The grave situation last year saw the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) issue a joint statement which urged: "Food is the path towards peace and as such, serious action must be taken immediately by the Government of Iraq and the International community to adopt climate smart food systems and long-term resilience building in order to ensure that Iraq and its people are able to navigate these testing times.”
As well as serving as a response to this urgent call for action, we are keen for She Leads in Food Security and similar projects in future to harness the huge agricultural potential of Kurdistan – which is commonly known as the Middle East's food basket.
The project is being provided in partnership with CARE Iraq, and is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
Jam Sisters
After launching on International Women’s Day in 2023, Jam Sisters is an initiative that is supporting a small group of female Syrian refugees so they can become financially independent by making jams from local fruits and ingredients.
As an extension of our existing ‘Sisters’ programming, Jam Sisters is a viable food income generation opportunity, while also improving awareness of climate adaptation.
After launching on International Women’s Day in 2023, Jam Sisters is an initiative that is supporting a small group of female Syrian refugees so they can become financially independent by making jams from local fruits and ingredients.
As an extension of our existing ‘Sisters’ programming, Jam Sisters is a viable food income generation opportunity, while also improving awareness of climate adaptation.
The project has seen us provide and equip a dedicated 'Jam Factory', where the participants are now making and selling jams from products such as figs, apples, cherries and apricots, and selling them to local markets and the community. The self-led initiative means they are given the tools required to manage the business themselves and retain all profits to support their families.
Prior to beginning production, the women received professional business management and skills training, providing them with the knowledge and understanding needed to run a successful business. The initial group of women are also receiving financial and logistic support for the first five months, while linkages with external markets are being created.
As well as providing this much-needed livelihoods opportunity, the project includes psychosocial support, and it is hoped that by enabling women to become financially independent, they will be less prone to suffering gender-based violence and discrimination.
This pilot project has been launched in partnership with The Big Heart Foundation, but we are already planning to extend it further.
Environmental Awareness and Tree Planting
Our teams have been busy providing awareness on the need to care for and protect our communities, and on Kurdistan Environment Day in April 2023, we planted around 500 fig and blueberry trees to benefit families in Essyan camp, as well as 40 Robinia and Cypress trees in public spaces.
Our teams have been busy providing awareness on the need to care for and protect our communities, and on Kurdistan Environment Day in April 2023, we planted around 500 fig and blueberry trees to benefit families in Essyan camp, as well as 40 Robinia and Cypress trees in public spaces.
We also distributed nearly 500 brochures about environmental issues, containing information on harvesting wild edible plants which grow in spring. We’ve also conducted environmental awareness campaigns in Domiz 2 and Rwanga camp as part of the initiative.
These kinds of campaigns and activities will be increasing under our new Climate Change pillar - and we welcome any support in expanding this essential area of our work.