Mutual assistance helps Marshlands women link entrepreneurship and community development

NASSIRIYAH [ACTED News] -- Unemployment in Iraq is high with a national average of 15%, even more so among youth (25%) and women (more than 80%). Through a program funded by the US Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), ACTED is supporting 8 women in the Marshlands of Thi Qar governorate by teaching them valuable vocational skills in carpet weaving. After two months of training, ACTED will continue to provide assistance to these women by creating two women economic self-help groups (SHGs). These groups will act as a small collective business where women work together to make carpets, enabling the women to earn a small income and help provide for their families. The women will make a profit of approximately € 15 per carpet. An added advantage of these groups is that it provides a place for women where they can feel safe and are able to express themselves freely. SHGs give the women a sense of purpose and enhance their self-esteem.