Reference :
V-P-IQ-E-01175
Date :
07/03/2013
Caption :
Diyala governorate, Khanaqin district, Sheikh Bawa. A woman beneficiary of an ICRC income-generating programme for vulnerable widows weights tomatoes in front of her ICRC-supported grocery.
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Description :
She and her husband decided to open their first grocery shop on the outskirts of Sheikh Bawa, West of Khanaqin, in Diyala Governorate, after they got married more than 10 years ago. Fteim has been running the store since then while her husband, a local farmer, was working in the fields. In 2007 however her life took a wrong turn as her husband was killed in front of their house in another strive of sectarian violence in the area. She and Abdulsamad, a young orphan taken into the couple's custody only few years earlier, were on their own. Although she has chosen to continue with the small business, her situation became difficult as she could afford only a limited number of very basic products. At the end of 2012, she was supported by the ICRC as a part of income-generating initiatives for vulnerable widows. She was able to renew her shop, purchase new equipment and widen her offer. Her life changed again. She purchased refrigerators, brought more products from the nearby town of Jalawla and renewed the store building. She also says that more and more customers shop in her and Abdulsamad's store as they are now able to sell items on credit to the prevalently poor population of Sheikh Bawa.
Since 2010, the ICRC has implemented 42 projects in Sheikh Bawa, a small Arab-Kurdish village in Khanaqin district, Diyala Governorate. As the territories remain widely disputed between Arab and Kurds, the population suffers from lack of basic services and very weak support from the governmental structures.
Original material :
digital
Resolution :
5616x3744
Orientation :
landscape
Colour/B&W :
colour
