Women’s textile co-operative in Kobane city. Founded in 2011, the co-operative has been running consistently with the aim of providing women in Kobane with economic opportunities. It is now one of the longest-running women’s co-operatives in the region. In 2017, 17 women reportedly worked in the co-operative.
In 2020 the Amargî workshop has sprung into action in response to the Covid-19 epidemic and 10 workers in the co-operative have produced about 100 masks in two days.
North and East Syria faces serious challenges in the fight against COVID-19. 600,000 IDPs and refugees live in camps across the region, their situation already precarious without a pandemic. Ongoing attacks by Turkish forces, Turkey-backed militias, and ISIS complicate the security situation and threaten essential civilian infrastructure like water lines. According to the Rojava Information Center,
In Rojava, the significance of the co-operative system lies in efforts to democratise all sectors of society, including the economy. For this reason, creating alternative means and avenues that allow traditionally marginalised groups such as women to actively participate and engage with the market is an essential aspect of the radical democratic model.
