Iraqi Charities Forum has begun the implementation of its new project- The Humanitarian Fund to Support Small Businesses. In collaboration with The Humanitarian Charity to Protect the People (one of our affiliated member charities in Iraq) we launched the project in the Alkareeat area of Baghdad, on Saturday 12/06/10.

This project aims to provide the correct means for employment for many of the widows, people with disabilities and poor families, in order to enable them to obtain a career and provide them with a stable source of income for themselves.

Mr. Walid Abdul-Ameer (ICF representative in Baghdad) led the interviews with the women, from which the following details were finalised:

1. 42 widowed/divorced/poor women came to be interviewed to start up their own small businesses. It was discovered that 22 women required machines for industrial use, whereas 20 women needed domestic sewing machines to work from home

2. 35 Women showed they were ready to start work as dress makers whereas 7 wanted to engage themselves in a training course.

 3. The Humanitarian Charity to Protect the People decided to purchase two additional machines to be used in the organization’s headquarters for the purposes of training

 4. It was agreed that the women would have full freedom in tailoring what was needed from their customers, however they did agree to contribute to making pieces of clothing/ apholstry for furniture to be displayed in certain shopping centres, as a promotion of their work and the project

 5. It was also agreed that the after the first 2 months of employment the women would start to pay back their first instalments of 20000  Dinars a month until the costswere covered

 6. A contract is to be drawn between Iraqi Charities Forum and  the Humanitarian Charity to Protect the People, stating that each party would be permitted to reclaim any loan or machinery given in cases of misuse or where there would be no further use for the machines

 7. Three women outside the scope of this group also desire to secure employment in different areas: two septuagenarians said they were willing to work as (bakers) for which we need to provide an oven with a gas cylinder and a regulator. This would be a very successful project especially given that most families have moved away from the local bakery. The other lady has requested funding for a small shop selling food and has promised our representative that she will study the finances and resources that she needs to discuss at a later date, given that the day was supposed to concern only those projects requiring sewing machines 

The next step: Buying the Machines 

On 19/6/2010 Mr. Walid Abdul Amir (the ICF representative in Baghdad), accompanied by a representative of Charity to Protect the People conducted a thorough research on the best machines for the job. Having examined the prices and equipment from Malaysia, India and China, with the help and experience from our valued volunteer and brother Abu Yasser, it was decided to go for the company of Indian Origin. With this they began negotiations for the most appropriate price and after much effort and various attempts the prices agreed upon were as follows: 

At $220 for an Industrial “BROTHER” sewing machine the total amounted to $4620 for the 22 machines needed. The Domestic sewing machines from the same brand BROTHER, were priced at $95 or $ 1900 for 20 machines bringing the total amount to $ 6,520 for the 42 machines. All of which came with a 1^st class quality mark and a 2 yr guarantee.

 
Another $170 per machine was spent on sewing equipment for each machine, this included needles, materials and threads making a grand total of $6690. Without the help of our specialist volunteer, we would not have been able to obtain the equipment at such reasonable prices and at such short notice, saving $30 on each industrial machine and $5 of those domestic ones.

  On the afternoon of the same day, two speeches were made by the delegates from both organisations, at present were the women involved in the projects. They began the opening of the ceremony with verses from the Quran. The representatives from the Humanitarian Charity for the Protection of the People made a speech praising the efforts of the Iraqi Charities forum and the Forum’s President Haji Abdul Saheb Shakiry, without which the opportunity for the relief of the women’s hardship would have been very difficult.

 
Mr. Walid Abdul Amir (ICF Representative in Baghdad) made a following speech about the dimensions of this humanitarian project and the services to be provided, which will contribute to improving the situation of the widows, divorcees and poor women. He spoke about how the project will provide them with the opportunity to learn a new career, and he then responded later to queries from attendees of the meeting, concerning the mechanism for implementing the project. 

After the speeches came the distribution of the sewing machines, all of the women receiving machines had signed and approved a contract regarding the conditions of employment.

The next step in this project of supporting small businesses will be securing purchase of fabrics in preparation for the establishment of a permanent exhibition of the ladies’ work.