Yazidi Female Farmer Shares Impact of Recent Nadia's Initiative Livelihoods Project

Since surviving ISIS’s horrific crimes in 2014, many Yazidis of Sinjar, Iraq have found it difficult to return home and restart their lives. Arno, a widowed mother of three, described that “It was difficult for me to get work because I’m a widow. There has been no support directly targeting women done by NGOs in Sinjar before.”

Nadia’s Initiative set out to change this by creating a support project for female farmers that gives direct and tangible aid to women like Arno. After enrolling in the program, Arno received dairy cows and training on how to feed, breed, and care for the animals.

“I have seen immediate results through this activity. My life has been changed for the better. This project has made me more self-reliant by improving my agricultural skills and reducing psychological pressure.”

The goal of the project is to empower women to grow their family agricultural business and earn a stable income, but Arno says the effects have rippled across the community. “This project has had a very good impact on the community. We as women need to have more roles in the community. I plan to continue working on dairy farming activities and improving the agriculture sector.”

This project was financed by the GIZ commissioned by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.