MOSUL — Iraqi business women here are taking advantage of a program instituted by the Ninawa PRT to train them on business administration practices. "After we meet with these women’s assns, we put them through business training where they learn how to develop business plans," said Tony Daza, an economics advisor for the Ninawa PRT. "At the end of the training the women put together 2 business proposals that they present to the PRT for funding."
According to Daza, key leaders with MND-N recognized a need for this kind of project earlier in 2009, and the PRT finally initiated the program in early Sept. "All these women have attended a lot of conferences before on empowerment, but this time they were ready for income generating programs," said Daza.
Women’s associations that are registered with the GoI, and have more than 100 members, are eligible candidates for the training program. Daza then talks to each of the assns about their org., and the goals they want to accomplish. It's at that meeting the women’s assns schedule their training.
To date, 3 women’s assns have completed business training and compiled several business proposals as a result. "We have one group that put a proposal in to create a computer lab, where the members of the women's assn could receive basic computer training," said Daza. "The computer lab would also serve as a place where the general public could come and pay to rent time on a computer."
Through the training, the PRT introduced business models that would provide the women's assns with a sustainable group income, while also providing some educational value for its members, such as basic computer skills or vehicle driver's training.
Daza is working with assns in Bartalah and Cara Qosh, whose memberships are in the thousands. He said the hope is that all of the groups will have the opportunity to start viable, sustainable projects. "These women have never had access to start a business to generate income of their own," said Daza. "Success for me with this program is giving these women choices to have their own sources of income."
