Since our last update, KOFAVIV has been busy with their Saturday workshops for young girls. The sessions continue to have success in building the girls’ confidence and self-esteem as well as teaching them important income-generating skills, such as jewelry-making and hairdressing. I wanted to share some photos and highlights from the last few months of the program. I hope you enjoy!
Photo 1) KOFAVIV recently organized a beach retreat for the young girls participating in their weekly workshops. The beach retreat was used to both celebrate the girls’ successes as well as to give them reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the city. The girls were able to have fun and relax with their peers and their mentors. This photo shows the workshop participants and their mentors on the way to the beach.
Photo 2) KOFAVIV has added cooking classes to the Saturday workshops, giving the girls a new skill that can later be applied to an income-generating activity. This photo shows a KOFAVIV coordinator and mentor teaching the young girls how to prepare a meat dish.
Photo 3) The girls’ jewelry-making skills are improving! At the beginning of May, KOFAVIV held a local artisan fair at the KOFAVIV Center, inviting members of the public to purchase products made by the girls. Among the products being sold at the fair were the necklaces and bracelets made by these young women! This photo shows the beaded jewelry made by the girls, on display at the fair.
Photo 4) This photo shows young girls posing with their crafts!
Thanks to your support, MADRE and our local partners, the Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS), delivered emergency care to injured civilians in Gaza, particularly women and children.
November of last year saw an escalation of violence and tension between Gaza and Israel. Military strikes in Gaza intensified. Many civilians were killed. Many more were injured and in need of urgent medical care. Gaza’s medical and sanitation infrastructure, already vulnerable, was further weakened by the violence. Hospitals that are chronically under-resourced and out of reach for many became even less accessible. Medical supplies to treat the injured were scarce.
But you were there. Your support helped us raise funds to send to PMRS so that they could buy desperately needed emergency medical supplies. PMRS’s local know-how enabled them to deliver emergency care in affected neighborhoods where the need was greatest. Thank you for supporting this important, lifesaving work!
It’s been nearly 6 months since this crisis. While the initial emergency has passed, PMRS continues to work in the region, providing medical care and counseling for those affected by violence. And while this project is ending, MADRE will continue to be there for our sisters in Gaza as they weather crises and rebuild their communities.
Thank you again for your support!
When women threatened with violence arrive at OWFI’s shelters, they know that they will receive comprehensive care. From providing shelter, to emergency health care, to legal assistance, OWFI and MADRE are working tirelessly to meet the needs of survivors of gender-based violence and empower Iraqi women to defend their rights.
We’d like to share updates with you now on our hard work in seeking justice for women threatened with violence:
Currently, OWFI is assisting two women in mounting legal cases against the men who abused them. One woman was severely beaten by her husband. The other was raped by her brother. With MADRE’s support and with OWFI’s assistance, these women filed complaints of these violations and saw their cases moved to trial. OWFI’s relationship with members of the social police, the department of the Iraqi police force tasked with dealing with social issues, ensured that police officers supported and cooperated with the women as they filed their claims, and were present to protect them when their cases went to trial.
What’s more, in the past few months alone, MADRE support allowed OWFI to provide seven women at their shelters with counseling to help them recover from the trauma of living in violence and fear, a first step to helping these women reclaim their lives. Additionally, OWFI helped six women at the shelters receive lifesaving medical care.
OWFI and MADRE continue to offer women threatened with violence the means and social support to escape danger and begin to build a new life. When asked if they felt safer at OWFI shelters, one resident stated, “I can breathe, no one is trying to kill me in this house. Yes, I’m safe.”
Thank you for supporting this crucial, lifesaving work!
