Kamal launched his own sweets shop in the Al-Kubaisa sub-district
March 31, 2022 News

Kamal launched his own sweets shop in the Al-Kubaisa sub-district

Kamal Hadi Sahab is a 43-year-old man, originally from the Al Heet district's Al-Kubaisa sub-district of Iraq. He lives with his family and has three children, two sons and a girl. Before the ISIS attack on the area, Kamal worked as a daily wage laborer in a local factory. After returning, he worked as a selfemployeed. Kamal had always wanted to open his own sweets factory in the region but he lacked the money to do so. Thanks to Caritas Czech Republic and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), he was finally able to launch his confectionery business.

Kamal learned how to promote, market and grow his business

Because of the tensions in the region, Kamal was forced to flee his home and faced difficult times. After returning to the Kubaisa neighborhood, he had no source of income to provide for his family.

One day, Kamal heard from a friend about the livelihood’s initiative programme provided by Caritas Czech Republic and UNDP. He then registered at the Fajr Al-Hurriya School and waited three weeks for the selection process to take place and for the team to call him to join the initiative.

Kamal attended an eight-day training course, particularly in business management, during which he learned a lot about project management. He was able to use the skills he acquired to manage his business and learn how to promote, market, and distribute it, and he also learned about profit and loss and how to keep business records.

Kamal received the first installment of the grant

After completing the training, Kamal received the first installment of the grant, which he used to purchase equipment for his sweet shop. "One of the problems I faced before participating in this initiative was that I did not have enough money to start my project, and I also did not have enough expertise in marketing and promoting my goods," Kamal explained.

After the participants receive the grant, Caritas Czech Republic staff provides mentorship and coaching to the grant recipients to follow up on their small projects and provide them with further education and support. "I was facing some difficulties in managing the factory and marketing the goods produced," Kamal said, "but after the livelihoods teams visited me and provided me with advice and instructions, their observations helped me solve most of the issues I encountered in the project," he added.

Kamal also benefited others by employing four people in his shop. Kamal's life had also changed in terms of routine. Before the initiative, he was unemployed and had many free hours in his day. Yet now he spends most of his time working.

“I thank Caritas Czech Republic and the United Nations Development Programme for this wonderful opportunity and support in starting my own business," Kamal concluded.

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The project is implemented by UNDP Iraq in partnership with Caritas Czech Republic in Iraq with funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) provided through Kfw Development Bank