Khawla and Dalal insist on overcoming the repercussions of war and succeeding professionally

Both Khawla Ismail, 33, and Dalal al-Ali, 34, from the city of Raqqa, are trying to make up for the time they have missed since they lost the opportunity to continue working in dressmaking due to the repercussions of war.

A few days ago, both women joined the team of trainees within the fourth phase of the (Bazar) project launched by the GAV organization in Raqqa to empower women professionally and economically and help them secure new job opportunities. 

For Ismail, who lost her home and one of her sons due to the war, joining the trainee team is a new opportunity to return to the labor market, especially after she lost her sewing kit. 

Ismail, who is the sole breadwinner for her family of six, says, joining the current training will help her improve her living situation after developing her skills and experience in the field of dressmaking in general.

As for al-Ali, who found herself without a job after her husband lost his job due to illness, she says she will try to maintain her profession after she is able to develop her skills as well. 

Al-Ali, who supports seven children, had lost her sewing kit due to frequent displacement that most residents of Raqqa experienced before it was liberated from ISIS control in 2017. 

Due to these circumstances, al-Ali lost most of her clients and is now trying to return to the labor market again by joining the team of trainees within the (Bazar) project, by insisting on success and making up for what she missed in this field.

The vocational training of the dressmaking started on June 12, with the participation of 24 women from the city of Raqqa, in an attempt to support them in securing continuous and stable livelihoods for them through an intensive training program, in addition to training in the field of professional marketing over a period of two and a half months. 

The general context of the project supports the reintegration of the female trainees into the labor market in line with the plan to provide them with technical support, help them obtain stable job opportunities, and focus on improving their economic level to allow them to rely on themselves and secure a stable income for their families, in a manner that achieves financial independence for them.  

The project comes in its fourth phase after empowering the skills of 84 male and female trainees from the residents of Tal Al-Samen camp and the city of Raqqa during the previous three phases in the following professions: sewing, dressmaking, haircut, hairdressing, plumbing, gypsum board and home electricity, in addition to professional marketing training.