Shia Koyaa 

Koya – Due to the remoteness of the city and the lack of job opportunities, its residents depend for their livelihoods on government jobs and monthly salaries. Investment has also been at a standstill for years, which has led to a rise in unemployment among women. 

In addition, like the rest of Kurdistan’s cities, Koya includes diverse social components, among them refugees from Rojava and East Kurdistan who were forced to migrate due to oppression by different regimes and have settled in the city. Therefore, some women’s organizations seek to support women—especially those who have not had any job opportunities—by providing professional training courses. 

Namam Mikael, a trainer and supervisor of the sewing course at the Koya Committee of the Kurdistan Women’s Union, said: 

“As a women’s organization in the Koya area, we annually organize sewing and embroidery courses for women in the city and its surrounding villages so that we can empower a group of women to have their own profession, work from home, and earn an independent income.” 

She pointed out that some of the participants are university students while others are housewives. Through these courses, they aspire to obtain independent work, because in a city like Koya there are no job opportunities and people rely only on government salaries. At present there is no investment, salaries are not distributed regularly, and there are no major institutions providing real services to the public. 

“We Have No Hope for Employment” 

Shawin Dara, a university graduate and trainee in the course, said: 

“After finishing my university studies and because there were no job opportunities, I thought about learning a profession myself, since we have no hope of getting a government job. We are grateful to this organization for holding free courses. Although I do not own a sewing machine, I try to secure one through a relative or from home so that I can continue training and working.” 

“We Benefited Greatly from Learning This Profession” 

Afsana Nalshin, from East Kurdistan and a long-time resident of Koya, expressed her happiness at participating in a course that brought together women from different parts of Kurdistan: 

“We came here to learn the profession of sewing Kurdish clothes in practice, not just to obtain a certificate. I am happy that this course brought together women from other parts of Kurdistan, where we all cooperate without discrimination. We have greatly benefited from learning this craft. It is wonderful to see all these women eager to learn a profession, and even more wonderful is this meeting of Kurds from Rojava, North Kurdistan, East Kurdistan, and the Kurdistan Region, forming one united line.” 

Aisha Mohammed Murad, from Rojava, also participated in the course and said: 

“I thank this women’s organization for providing us with the opportunity to learn sewing and embroidery. Since childhood I have loved this profession, but I never had the chance to learn it. In this course we learned practically and directly how to sew,” adding, 

“Women of Rojava are always active, have good taste, and love to work in order to have their own independent profession.”