RANEM AL AHMAD

Raqqa- The Women’s Committee of Raqqa Municipality opened a sewing workshop to provide employment for women due to the deteriorating economic situation.

Awatef Al-Issa, a member of the Women’s Committee, told us that the women started sewing the uniforms of the municipal employees. “In the beginning, the women working in the workshop sewed the uniforms for the municipal employees. But now, they sew dresses, aprons, and children's clothes.”

“Our aim is to provide employment for women”

Emphasizing that their aim is to support women and provide employment for women, particularly for the illiterate women, Awatef Al-Issa said, “Our target group was widowed and divorced women and the women, who have no income. There are five modern sewing machines, an ironing machine, and other sewing materials. The women working in the workshop are contract workers and their contracts are renewed every three months. They receive symbolic wages and they are paid per piece.”

“Women have broken their chains”

Hend El-Şeyh is one of the women working in the workshop. “I have been working in this workshop for almost a year and six months. Before working here, I used to sew women’s clothes at home but my sewing machine was old-fashioned so I couldn’t start my own tailor shop. I used to sew clothes for only my family members, friends, and neighbors. Now, women have broken their chains and they work outside,” she told us.

Another woman working in the workshop is Ayşe Hemdavi. Talking about working in the workshop, she said, “I used to sew clothes at home. I started working in the workshop due to difficult living conditions after the death of my husband to take care of my children.”