January 30, 2024
News
Even though life in Iraq has become relatively stable after the defeat of the Islamic State in 2019, more than a million people remain internally displaced due to a complex political and volatile security situation. One of them is Shaymaa, whom Caritas Czech Republic supported to relaunch her household goods resell business in the camp where she lives.
Fleeing ISIS, her family ended up in a precarious situation
Shaymaa was born in 1980 in a small town close to Baghdad, nowadays known as Jurf al-Nasr. She attended primary school but didn’t complete her education. A mother to two boys and three girls, she used to resell used and new household items.
When the self-proclaimed Islamic State attacked her hometown, they were forced to flee. The family moved to the Bzeibiz camp for the internally displaced people in the neighbouring Anbar province, where they faced financial challenges. Shaymaa’s reselling business stopped, and her husband couldn’t take up work himself due to a chronic illness. “We used to live day by day on food aid and charity,” Shaymaa recalls.
A “One thousand Iraqi dinars” store
Through one of her children, she one day learned about the Caritas Czech Republic's business management training for Iraqis who found themselves in similar vulnerable positions. “I learned about new buying and selling methods, how to improve my profit, deal with clients, and communicate with people on social media,” she says. After the training, Caritas Czech Republic provided her with a grant to re-launch her old re-selling business in her new location.
In her house, she opened a new store called Haja b Alf, which translates to “everything for a thousand [Iraqi dinars]” or about three-quarters of a US dollar, where she resells pots, plates, trays, plastic containers, strainers, clothes, and other household goods.
Her whole family is very happy and supportive of her business. Her husband and son also help her in the store. “Our life is better now, thank God,” Shaymaa notes. She also encourages other women to open their own businesses.
Caritas Czech Republic in Iraq
Shaymaa is one of the more than 100 Iraqis Caritas Czech Republic supported collaboration with Secours Catholique - Caritas France in a project titled “Emergency livelihoods support for vulnerable IDPs in Al-Amiriyah, Anbar Governorate” with business training and financial grants.
In Iraq, we also support farmers in rebuilding their destroyed farms, adapting to climate change, and helping young people enter the job market through internship programs.
