New skills, new businesses: training for returnees in Sinjar, Iraq

Above: Barber training underway in Sinjar, Iraq. Image: Bassam Hawas/NRC Iraq

When the Islamic State invaded Sinjar City in Northern Iraq in 2014, many families fled. It was not only homes, businesses and belongings that were left behind: for young people, schooling or training was often abandoned or disrupted by the upheaval, while others lost family members.

After returning to Sinjar in 2017, finding any work was tough for Sami*, who had to drop out of school when he and his family escaped the city. As the oldest of his siblings he was under pressure to support his wider family, but despite his determination to find work he was met with rejection after rejection.

In 2019 things finally turned around when Sami, now aged 19, signed up to complete a vocational course through the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

Funded by the Australian Government through the Australian Humanitarian Partnership, NRC is part of a consortium of NGOs delivering the Building Peaceful Futures program, under the lead of Save the Children Australia.

“After a few days, one of the NRC employees called me saying that a barbering course would be opening soon and asked if I would like to participate. I said, I will participate, with full enthusiasm and the spirit of learning,” Sami said.

At first Sami found barbering challenging, but he pushed himself to keep going.

“Day by day I learned and improved my skills, so [that] at the end of course I became the second [in the class], with a very good rating. After that I was nominated to be the trainer in the next round of the course. So I achieved my dream, I got my job.”

Sami trained seven others in barbering courses run by the NRC. He then went on to open his own barbershop in Sinjar. Now Sami has a stable source of income, and is able to provide support to his family.

Khunaf*, aged 30, became a single parent after her husband went missing during the Islamic State invasion of Sinjar City, and was forced north to a displaced persons camp in Kurdistan for three years. She was supported by her brothers, but had lost the happy life she had before the conflict.

“Before the events of 2014, our life was as if we were in heaven. This was the case until the day ISIS entered Sinjar; I lost my husband and two of his brothers. Since that day I have not heard my husband's voice. He left behind a daughter; [and] from that day, I become the child’s mother and father,” Khunaf said.

Above: A group of women learning sewing skills in Sinjar. Image: Bassam Hawas/NRC Iraq

On her return to Sinjar in 2017, she found her home had been destroyed.

Determined to move forward after so much loss, Khunaf asked her brother to take her to the NRC to register after she heard about an opportunity to take sewing classes.

The first week of classes was tough, particularly learning about measurements and designs, but Khunaf was determined to master a new skill and completed the course, along with 16 other participants.

NRC referred Khunaf to the NGO Welt Hunger Hilfe (WHH) after the course, where she was provided with cash to buy sewing equipment and supplies. This support helped her to open a sewing shop and start her own business, making clothing for her community.

“I now have my own design shop and [I sew] for children, men, and women,” Khunaf said. She is now able to support her daughter and other family members through her business, and no longer needs to rely on her brothers.

Building Peaceful Futures is a multi-year Australian Humanitarian Partnership response focused on supporting the return and reintegration of communities in Ninewa (Northern Iraq) and Kirkuk (Central Iraq).  Funded by the Australian Government, Save the Children Australia is leading a consortium of NGOs, including the Norwegian Refugee Council, CARE Australia and Handicap International.

*Names have been changed