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IF Hosts Sewing Exhibition in Basra for Iraqi Widows
 To highlight the progress and success of the women participating in
IF's Widows Empowerment Project (WEP), IF hosted an exhibition
in Basra to showcase the goods that the widows have produced and allow
them a chance to sell their goods in a market-style environment. The
three-day exhibition began on Wednesday, September 16, and ran through
Friday, September 18th. The exhibition featured items produced by the
women from both training centers in Qurna and Zubair, and opening remarks
were given by Ms. Nasser, Basra Governorate Council Member and President
of the Women's Committee of the Council. The exhibition was visited by
several prominent officials from various local and regional government
offices as well as representatives from Iraqi media outlets. A number
of local citizens and proprietors of local businesses, such as medical
equipment suppliers, attended the exhibition as
well. The widows sold over 114 garments during the three days.
The hall space for this exhibition was donated by the Fine Artists
Association in Basra, for which the Foundation is deeply appreciative. Learn more...
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IF Successfully Concludes the Mdaina Education Project
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From March to September 2009, the Iraq Foundation (IF) successfully
implemented the Mdaina Education Project (MEP) aimed at creating
an adult literacy
training program for the community of Mdaina and enhancing the professional
skills and income generating opportunities for teachers and small
business owners of Mdaina. 356 adults -with an equal proportion
of men and women- benefited from this training, including literate
and illiterate
citizens as well as teachers, small business owners and IT professionals.
IF also refurbished and equipped an obsolete computer center in Mdaina
and provided it with a satellite dish internet. With the help of
IF, the computer center became fully operational and started generating
revenue through providing various services including access to internet
and printing services as well as renting wireless internet to homes
and organizations in the surrounding neighborhood.
Learn more... |
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IF Awards Human Rights Organizations in Iraq with Small Grants
 During the month of September, IF awarded three human rights organizations in Iraq small grants to
bolster Iraqi human rights advocates and strengthen the culture of civil and
political liberties in Iraq!
IF received 20 small grants proposals in response to a request disseminated in August. After IF reviewed the proposals, HRAI and IF Staff selected 3 to award. The winners were: The Akad Organization- Baghdad,
The Humane Organization for Human Rights- Kut, and the Himam
Institution for Civil Society Building, Basra. IF
signed grant agreements with the awardees and provided them with basic
mentoring on IF's implementation and reporting criteria and requirements. These
organizations will receive $3,000 each to implement projects related to human
rights advocacy. The 3 selected organizations will advocate for 1) The right to
practice one's own religion, 2) preventing violence in schools, and 3)
children's rights. To date, IF has awarded 10 small grants as part of the HRAI project.
Learn more about HRAI...
HRAI Coalition Launches 4th Wave of Human Rights Media Campaign
On September 1st 2009, IF launched
the fourth wave of its human rights media campaign. The fourth wave campaign
advocates for civic and political rights and comprises 70 TV and 90 radio spots
and 10 billboards. TV spots broadcast once to twice a day and the radio spots
broadcast twice to 3 times a day. Billboards were disseminated in
Baghdad major intersections. The fourth wave will continue until the end of
October.
View Media Campaign TV Spots...
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IF Conducts Field Visits in the Southern Governorates
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 During the month of September, IF Staff conducted numerous field visits throughout the southern governorates. Meeting with local NGOs, IF worked to prepare for an upcoming capacity building workshop, as part of the Southern Governorates Capacity Building Project. This project aims to promote the growth and effectiveness of civil society organizations
in the Maysan, Nasriyya, and Basra provinces so they can ensure that
the interests of citizens are weighed by public institutions that make
policy and allocate resources.
View more photos...
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