Empowering Mosul's war widows through work

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Empowering Iraq's widows of war

This is Mahiya Adham Yousif

She runs a kitchen in Mosul

and hires other widows to work with her

(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) IRAQI BUSINESS OWNER SELLING HOME-MADE FOOD, MAHIYA ADHAM YOUSIF, SAYING:

''My dream is that this workshop will become a big restaurant and I will employ women. // Because women are oppressed, especially in Mosul. They are viewed differently, they are told: you are divorced, you are widowed, you cannot work, it is inappropriate to work in a shop where there are men and it is inappropriate for you to go out."

Mahiya lost her two sons

in the war against Islamic State

and her husband shortly after

She hopes to give widows financial freedom

(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) IRAQI BUSINESS OWNER SELLING HOME-MADE FOOD, MAHIYA ADHAM YOUSIF, SAYING:

''I employed two women at the beginning of my project, and when we saw a turnout, we developed the project further and hired a bigger house with an area of 400 square meters so that the women could work freely and now we have more than 20 chefs.''

Iraq has a high number of widows

after years of conflict

Exact numbers are unknown

Source: Relief International

but it is estimated to be hundreds of thousands

(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) CHEF AT YOUSIF'S WORKSHOP, UM RIDHA, SAYING:''

"I'm a widow and I don't have any source of income. I don't want to depend on donations and people. So, I asked Mahiya to find me a job so that I can depend on myself.''