Tailor made: a fathers day story

The humanitarian crisis in Iraq is entering a new phase. Combat operations against ISIS have ended and hundreds of thousands of displaced people are returning to their homes and communities. 

But more than 2 million vulnerable people are still living in camps or substandard accommodation, and an estimated 8.7 million will require some form of humanitarian assistance in 2018. 

Abbas Saleh and his family were among the millions of Iraqis impacted by conflict and economic downturn, during the last four years. Widespread unemployment and deteriorating public services threatened his community, his livelihood and his family’s well-being. 

That’s when he discovered the AMAR Foundation's INVEST Center. The Inclusive Vocational and Entrepreneurship Skills Training (INVEST) Center opened in Abbas’s community in Najaf in 2016, along with five other Centers across Iraq. 

Each Center provides skills based training, legal counsel, and psycho-social support for both internally displaced people and host communities.The INVEST Centers also provide networking opportunities and small-business starter grants to help course participants find jobs in their communities, or launch their own businesses. 

In 2017, Abbas enrolled on one of the men’s training courses offered at the Center – a sewing class designed to teach tailoring and other essential on-the-job skills. Abbas graduated from the course in May and following his graduation, was hired at a men’s tailors in Najaf. 

Today, Abbas continues to use the skills he developed at the INVEST Center to provide for his family. His story is just a snapshot of the thousands of success stories, who are using their INVEST training skills to rebuild a life for themselves and their families. 

After two years running on AMAR Foundation funding, four of the six INVEST Centers are now self-sustaining and will continue to provide training and opportunities for parents like Abbas. AMAR's INVEST training also provides new economic opportunities to displaced and underserved families, individuals and entire communities. 

This Father’s Day, we invite you to support Abbas, his family and the thousands of other fathers like him, by making a gift to the AMAR Foundation. Your support helps rebuild the lives of hundreds of families, by providing them with new career opportunities through skills based training. 

by Sarah Hollis

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