Locations
Today's story comes from Mosul, where Iman turned her passion into a thriving business. She never imagined that the plans she made long ago would become reality or that her love for sweets and cakes would one day provide income for her and her family. A mother of four and a high school graduate turned her passion for making sweets into an inspiring success story.
Life under ISIL
When ISIL entered Mosul, Iman and her family remained at home, enduring fear and destruction. During this dark time, she lost her 24-year-old sister in an explosion, leaving behind two children.
The days were filled with despair, but as time passed, hope slowly returned, and life in the city began to emerge.
The beginning of the dream
Through the Building Resilience Through Employment Promotion (BREP) programme of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) - generously funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the German Development Bank (KfW), many young people have been trained in northern Iraq in different fields, including sustainable energy projects, the food industry, solar energy, green construction, and repairing hybrid and electric cars
Iman is one of the beneficiaries of the “Pastry Industry Training” project within the BREP programme, which is implemented in partnership with the Human Appeal organization for 45 days. Iman has trained well through the training courses in pastry and confectionery in Mosul, and today she has become a chef’s assistant.
Building a Business: “@Donuts_Nawara”
After completing the training course, Iman was able to launch her home-based pastry business (@Donuts_Nawara). Despite the financial challenges, she insisted on continuing. She received moral support from her family and husband, Today, she makes an income of 300,000 to 400,000 Iraqi dinars monthly.
Today, her sisters are helping her run the business. However, her ambition does not stop there. She remains determined to transition from home-based work to owning a pastry shop, creating job opportunities for other women in her community. She plans to open her own shop and prove that resilience and dedication can lead to success.
About the project
Iraq's ongoing conflicts have severely impacted its socio-economic and security conditions, with the ISIL crisis causing mass displacement. Since 2015, efforts to restore services have enabled many to return home. The BREP programme strengthens resilience by providing economic empowerment and rebuilding homes, focusing on Anbar, Diyala, Kirkuk, Ninewa, and Salah Al-Din. It creates employment, enhances skills in construction and agriculture, and supports small and medium enterprises (SMEs). To date, over 5,500 young people in Iraq have been trained in various fields through the programme.
