Kongra Star continues to develop projects and establish cooperatives in northeastern Syria to promote women’s economic empowerment.
Since the start of the revolution in Rojava, Kongra Star, an umbrella organization for all women’s organizations and institutions in North and East Syria, has developed projects and established cooperatives to promote women’s economic empowerment and increase women’s participation in the labor force.
In an interview with NuJINHA, Rozelîn Bekir, member of Kongra Star Economy Committee, gave information about their activities and their projects in the future.
‘Some precautions have been taken due to the lack of rainfall this year’
“At the beginning of each year, Kongra Star determines its new economic strategy,”
Rozelîn Bekir told us. “This year, we have decided to continue our previous projects on trade and agriculture and make more efforts for some cooperatives we established in previous years. We have taken some precautions and measures due to the lack of rainfall this year. We assigned three families to cooperatives in the city of Hasakah, and we have drilled water wells for agricultural areas. We have developed new projects in the cities of Tabqa, Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor.”
‘Agricultural lands have been damaged in the attacks’
Rozelîn Bekir commented on the ongoing Turkish attacks on the region, targeting the infrastructure. “Last year was a difficult year for us because the attacks of the Turkish state have targeted the infrastructure of the region for two years, causing great damage to the regional economy,” she said.
“The attacks also affect us, as the Kongra Star Economy Committee. We have taken some precautions to minimize the damage. We held meetings and decided to install solar panels in some agricultural areas and grow vegetables in agricultural lands. We have a project called ‘Lavîn’ in the city of Hasakah. The project aims to manufacture women’s clothing. We bought new sewing machines. We also provide vocational courses for women to increase women’s labor participation. We have established sewing workshops in Kobanê.”
‘We have created employment opportunities for women in Aleppo’
Rozelîn Bekir also gave information about their activities in the city of Aleppo. “We have created employment opportunities for women in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods of Aleppo. We have opened a sewing workshop and Arab and Kurdish women work together at the workshop.”
‘Developing the communal economy is the duty of women’
Kongra Star Economy Committee aims to develop more projects in the upcoming years. “We aim to develop new projects across the region in the future. One of our projects is to build large factories and workshops in some areas to manufacture clothes for women and children. We will do what North and East Syria needs, we are ready to build our society. Building the social economy and developing the communal economy is the duty of women.”
