November 18, 2021
News
Masoud Ablahad Ishaq is a 53-year-old man who lives in the town of Bashiqa in Iraq with his family. He had to leave his hometown because of the war and after the area was liberated from ISIS, Masoud returned to Bashiqa and had to spend all of his life savings to reconstruct his home. Thanks to the grant from Caritas Czech Republic, he is now able to stand on his own two feet again.
Starting the business administration training
The lack of security and the Covid-19 pandemic had an impact on the economic status of the area of Bashiqa in Iraq. Like many others in the region, Masoud also suffered greatly from the consequences of the conflict and the problems brought by the pandemic. One day, he learned through his church about Caritas Czech Republic and the activities we are doing in the area of Nineveh plains to support locals to secure their livelihoods.
Masoud applied to our training and was selected to attend the business administration course, for which he received a certificate upon completion.
"I took part in the training and received monthly cash assistance as well as a grant distribution. This funding enabled me to rebuild and restart my shop. I gained a lot from the training since I learned a lot of things about how to promote our business through social media, how to write a strong business plan, and how to acquire clients with good handling and service assurances," he noted.
Masoud's life has changed after our training as he now has more clients who trust him, which means he could increase his income and provide for himself and his family. He works as a mechanic and has a shop on Bashiqa's industrial strip, where he fixes cars.
“I am now able to expand my business and offer more and better services to my clients while using contemporary equipment and providing greater guarantees," he added. Thanks to the grant he received from Caritas Czech Republic, Masoud could purchase new devices and equipment. He is now able to provide more services than ever before because of the utilization of cutting-edge technology in his business.
"I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude to Caritas Czech Republic for their support and assistance in such projects so that returnees to the Nineveh Plains can live in their communities and not consider relocating abroad."
This project is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic (MOFA) and implemented by Caritas Czech Republic in Iraq.
