Reference :
V-P-IQ-E-02292
Date :
17/12/2018
Caption :
Mosul. This man lost his grocery store because of the armed conflict. After the conflict, thanks to the ICRC micro-economic initiative programme, he managed to start his business again.
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Description :
ICRC website, article of 30.05.2019: Small projects bring life back to the streets in Mosul
Various small and medium businesses in the Old City of Mosul are supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross as life gradually returns to the streets and people resume their lives. Some business owners have restored their activities to pre-conflict levels while others are gradually recovering. And some even earn a higher income than ever before.
Micro-economic initiatives (MEI) are income-generating programmes implemented through a bottom-up approach, with each beneficiary identifying and designing the assistance received to run a small business.
[...] Abo Omar from Mosul had a grocery store, but lost it during the fighting of 2014. He also lost his house and had to flee together with his neighbours, staying away for a year. They regularly asked themselves: “Can we ever return home?”
When the conflict was over, the displaced families came together one day, plucked up courage and decided to travel home. On that day, eight families went back to find their homes destroyed. With great determination, the neighbourhood residents worked together to clean and rebuild their houses. Other displaced families slowly began to arrive. “When people returned, the neighbourhood came back to life and others were encouraged,” Abo Omar says.
Abo Omar decided to resume his old business and chose a location inside a recently constructed building. He adds: “I had insufficient funding, but the ICRC provided me with support. Nowadays the neighbourhood residents are buying from me.”
[...] ICRC-implemented MEIs are a type of assistance that require that beneficiaries possess a mix of skills and motivation to achieve the desired business results. [...] Throughout 2018, 96 cash grants were given to small business owners in the Old City of Mosul who had lost their businesses due to recent conflict.
Original material :
digital
Resolution :
6016x4016
Orientation :
landscape
Colour/B&W :
colour
