BERJÎN KARA

Makhmour- Kurdish people, who settled in the Martyr Rustem Cudi Camp (Makhmour Refugee Camp) in 1994, keep weaving their lives despite all the difficulties faced by them. The Martyr Rusten Cudi Women’s Foundation that was founded in the camp plays an important role to empower women in the camp.

 The foundation, which offers training courses to women every year, opened a sewing workshop to employ 20 women. However, the insufficient number of sewing machines due to the embargo prevents women from working at the workshop. Eylem Kara is one of the three women, who works at the workshop to stand on her own legs economically. “I attended one of the training courses of the foundation. I learned many things from this course. I have been working at the workshop for about seven or eight months,” said Eylem Kara, who stated that they could sew different models of dresses at the workshop.

‘We do not have enough sewing machines’

Eylem Kara told us that other women in the camp want to work in the workshop. “At the beginning, there were many women working at the workshop; however, our machines broke down. 20 women attended the course and learned how to sew. But only three women can work at the workshop due to the insufficient number of sewing machines. Normally, 20 can work at the workshop; however, only three women work now because we do not have enough sewing machines. We cannot bring new sewing machines due to the ongoing embargo on the camp.”

The Martyr Rusten Cudi Women’s Foundation will organize training courses for women in the camp. “After women complete the courses, they do not have to work with us. They can work wherever they want,” said Eylem Kara, also a member of the foundation.