LIVELIHOODS
FYF enables Yezidi and other minority women to better integrate into the formal economy and labor market, fostering independence while empowering women through supportive and restorative models. FYF will continue developing sustainable economic initiatives through targeted investment and business skills training, support for better access to employment, small business establishment, promotion of local products to regional and international markets, and participatory learning modules on economic development.
LIVELIHOODS PRIORITIES
- Provide tailored skills training to women to increase their income generation capacities.
- Provide basic vocational training to women with a view of increasing their viability as employees in the job market.
- Serve as a hub for women’s economic empowerment through direct and indirect jobs placement.
- Serve as an incubator for women’s small business initiatives and develop sustainable pathways to bring women’s products to market.
- Support women to explore viability of products and better understand production to sales marketing chains.
- Provide platforms for Yezidi youth entrepreneurs, including but not exclusive to women, to engage potential investors.
MEASURING IMPACT
FYF measures successful achievement of this goal by the number of women trained, number of successful/profitable businesses created, number of products developed by women sold on the market, and number of job placements achieved.
ENTERPRISE AND TRAINING CENTER (ETC)
ENTERPRISE AND TRAINING CENTER (ETC)
FYF’s Enterprise and Training Center (ETC) in Khanke, Duhok, sustainably empowers women to reduce their vulnerabilities through skills training, jobs placement, and income generation activities. At the ETC, female artisans are trained in crafting and marketing one-of-a-kind items, including the Chonky Animals® product line of hand knitted stuffed animals.
100% of the proceeds from purchase go to the artisans, supplies, and maintenance of the ETC, which empowers Yezidi women and survivors to heal, recover, and reclaim their agencies.
Follow the ETC’s Crafts and Enterprise and Chonky Animals pages on Instagram to browse products and make a purchase to support vulnerable women.
SUGAR IS SWEET BAKERY AND CAFE
SUGAR IS SWEET BAKERY AND CAFE
Adjacent to the ETC is FYF’s Sugar is Sweet Bakery and Cafe, which offers an assortment of sweets and refreshments to the public. Sugar is Sweet is run by displaced Yezidi women who were previously trained in FYF’s Bakery Training Center (BTC), where they had the opportunity to learn business, finance, and baking skills.
Follow Sugar is Sweet on Instagram and check out FYF’s Birthday Party Initiative, which raises money to sponsor birthday parties for displaced children in the Sugar is Sweet cafe.
The center is helping us a lot in many different ways. When I am living in a tent, I don't see anything else or have any hope. When I come to the center, it feels like a different world. I talk with friends, work, and have time outside the tent. When we sell products, we get financial support.
Coming to work helps your family, and it empowers and encourages other women to find work. Before 2018, even if they had the chance, women didn't work. But now I see women are looking for work. They are empowered to search for jobs and try new things."
Farida, Enterprise and Training Center Artisan
