Widows start new enterprise in Hilla

When you first walk into the room full of women clad in black abayas (cloak covering from head to toe) sewing colourful dresses, their work doesn't seem particularly courageous at the Independent Women's Association cooperative in Hilla, 120 km south of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. Small children play beside many of the women, who are using brand new sewing machines to create the loose fitting dresses. After sewing a few simple pattern pieces together, the women take out needles and thread to create fancy bead patterns on the cloth. In another room, women wearing headscarves and long skirts are typing on computers for the first time. They talk eagerly about using computer programmes to create fashionable clothing designs that can be made in the sewing room. It all seems like a very simple business plan. But work at the association is actually unusual and a bit dangerous. Most of the women in the 600-member cooperative lost their husbands in 1991 at the end of the first Gulf war when thousands of Shi'ite Muslims were killed in a revolt against former president Saddam Hussein. Some used to work for the government, doing needlework at home for long hours. Many rely on charity from relatives to support their families. "I lost my husband and brother in 1991, but I was able to take care of my three children by selling extra food from my ration card," Leyla Merijy Abbas, 39, told IRIN in Hilla, as she took a break from sewing patterns on the collar of a dress. "But I also had to sell my furniture and refrigerator to have enough money," she added. Virtually every family in Iraq has a food ration card issued as part of the former UN Oil-For-Food programme started in 1996 to alleviate international sanctions. In Iraq, few women work outside the home. Moderate Iraqis in Baghdad say conservative religious groups are trying to scare women and keep them from being involved in public life. "Why shouldn't we have our own centre? asked Suhad Hussein Ali, as she taught a friend how to type in English and Arabic on one of the new computers. "It is development of women. Islam is not against women developing themselves, so no one can be against us," she told IRIN. Local workers used US $80,000 from the Research Triangle Institute, an American-based NGO, to repair the centre and buy the sewing machines and computers. Women at the association originally joined together when their husbands were killed, but they had no money to build an office, said Lemiya Mohammed Ali, 30, president of the association. The women were trying to advocate to get more benefits for themselves, but because their husbands were killed opposing the government, the former Baathist regime didn't listen to them, Ali explained. "Before, the women made only peanuts," Raja Sharif, regional grant manager at Research Triangle Institute, told IRIN. "When I asked if they would like a voice in the government, they replied: 'How do we do that?'" Sharif said. Since the regime fell last April, the women have discussed how they can work together to make money. "We are ready to do our best to make this association successful," Samira Obeis Hamza, told IRIN. "Before, the government would take our profits. Now, we can make contracts in local markets and re-invest our profits into the association," she added. So far, everyone seems supportive, including a businessman who came to the centre to sell his repair skills. Ali Farhad, owner of Babel Jewel Co., told the women he was at their service whether they needed to fix the sewing machines or buy a new generator for when the power goes out. The US-government funded Office for Transition Initiatives plans to deliver a generator to the office soon, said Roberta Rossi, a US Agency for International Development (USAID) spokeswoman. "The men accept this idea because they know that we should develop ourselves," Hawraa Abdul Khamii, told IRIN. "You might think that our community is narrow-minded, but we deserve to increase our skills," she asserted.