Shiya Koyi

Koye — In the city of Koye and its suburbs, many elderly women, young women, and university graduates depend on home bread-making to secure a living for themselves and their families. This work is not just a source of income; it is also the preservation of an ancient tradition known in some areas as "Tiri bread," and in other areas as "Kurdish bread" or "home bread." Were it not for these home ovens, this type of bread would be threatened with extinction.

Over the past month, with escalating military tensions, gas prices have risen unprecedentedly, and in some areas gas has completely disappeared. Since bread-making depends entirely on gas, women have found themselves facing two choices: either stop working or wait in hopes that prices will return to normal.

"We cannot continue due to the lack of gas"

"Tiri Ronak Bread" is one of the ovens where 14 women work in two daily shifts. The owner of the oven, Berjin Tahir, says, "Since 2015, I have been running this oven, one of the oldest bread-making places in Koye. But today we face a real crisis; the lack of gas has made continuing work nearly impossible."

She adds, "Bread-making is hard work, but it is a source of pride for women. We have 14 women who depend on this work to support their families. But rising gas prices threaten to cut off their livelihoods. After Eid al-Fitr, we closed the oven for three weeks, and only reopened due to customer demand. However, only a few of them are working now because we cannot afford the cost of gas."

She notes that "even the bread has been affected by the crisis; after the price of 50 loaves was 16,000 dinars, it is now 20,000." She points out that they used to fill 15 gas cylinders daily, but now they can only fill 8 or 9 cylinders, each filled for 25,000 dinars, and sometimes they cannot get gas at all.

She says, "We have not received any support. Deputies should have helped us because this place provides work for people, but unfortunately no one has helped us. If we had received a little support, we would be able to fill 5 or 6 cylinders daily."

Regarding the customers' reaction to the increased bread price, she explains, "Our customers are very understanding. They know that the price increase is not our fault. Those who used to buy 50 loaves now buy 25 or fewer. Everyone is waiting for conditions to improve."

"Our livelihood depends on this work"

Bahar Hamad, an elderly woman who has worked in the bakery for years, says, "We are 14 women working here, and our livelihood depends on this work. We no longer have any fixed salary. I used to receive 150,000 dinars as assistance, but that stopped. It has been about six years that I have been living off this work. If the bakery stops working, I will not be able to pay any expenses."

She adds, "I am old and cannot do any other work. Here, the place is suitable for me; I can knead dough and make bread. But the work has become very difficult. I ask the relevant authorities to restore water to us and help the bakery owner provide gas so that we do not lose our source of livelihood."