Delal Ramadan

 Hasakah- The Women’s Economy Committee in Hasakah, northeastern Syria, has been providing job opportunities to women by developing projects since it was established in 2015. In an interview with NuJINHA, Turkiye Sidu, a member of the committee, said that the committee is one of the most prominent organizations providing support to women with the aim of building a communal life for women and promoting women’s economic empowerment.

“Women in North and East Syria play an important role in all facets of life, especially in economy. We have developed many projects, including agricultural projects, by working in cooperation with the women’s cooperatives,” she told us.

 Noting that there are many women, who have to work to earn a living because they are the only breadwinners of their families, Turkiye Sidu said, “We have provided them job opportunities by developing projects. One of these projects is the sewing project. More than 30 women work in sewing workshops. We have also developed a bakery project in Shaddadi and Hasakah. At least five women running the bakeries. We also have a canned food project. There are many women running the canned food factory now.”

‘The aim is to promote women’s participation in social life’

The aim of the projects is to provide job opportunities to homeless women and their families so that they can earn a living without depending on anyone. “Another aim of the projects is to promote women’s participation in social life. When women work together, they share their experiences and get to know each other. Therefore, our main aim is to promote women’s participation in social life,” she said.

 Future projects of the committee

Speaking about the future projects of the committee, Turkiye Sidu said, “We have developed many projects and we will put these projects into practice soon. One of these projects is growing summer vegetables while the other is the carpet-cleaning workshop. We work coordinately with the councils to put our projects into practice. We hold meetings before putting our projects into practice to give information to women about the projects. Most of the women taking part in these projects are displaced women from Serêkaniyê and Girê Spî, which are under occupation of the Turkish state and its mercenaries. For this reason, we hold most of our meetings in IDPs camps.”

‘These projects are an opportunity for women’

“These projects are an opportunity for women so that they can build their own economy as well as help their families to meet their basic needs,” Turkiye Sidu said, “The committee also provides psychological and financial support to women by developing projects for them. The door of the Women's Economy Committee is open for all women, who want to earn a living.”