When God compensates you with things you never dream of

At the end of 2017, when the conflict of 2014 was just approaching an end, a baby girl of seven months old was found among the wrecks of a collapsed house in the heart of Salah al-Din. The baby girl’s name was Luma*.

Earlier during the conflict, Luma’s father went missing, and her mother’s and the latter’s entire family were killed in the attack on their home. Luma survived the attack, but she was not left alone.

Luma was taken to her grandfather’s (from her father’s side) home in Kirkuk where her aunt Muneera* would raise her and take care of her tenderly. A tight bond between the two creates and Luma grows up thinking that Muneera is her mother and calls her “Mama”.

Muneera didn’t want to break little Luma’s heart at a young age, thus she never told her the truth about her parents. Muneera is waiting for Luma to grow older to reveal to her what happened to her parents. When Luma asks about her father, Muneera tells her that he is travelling. She tries to make her patient.

In a small rental house in the heart of Kirkuk, eight-year-old Luma shares space with Muneera, her grandmother, and three younger aunts. Luma and Muneera share a bedroom. They barely have space, but the whole family is managing to live together warmly. However, it often makes Muneera feel sad that Luma doesn’t have a bed and a bedroom of her own like Luma’s other classmates. Muneera said, “Luma is very young but already deprived of many things. She doesn’t have a bed of her own or a room to enjoy her games and play. We sleep in the room and we do everything there and then we have a room for tailoring. Luma asks when we can have a room of our own!”

Luma these days is attending the second year of primary school and suffers from blood allergy and vitiligo due to an immunodeficiency.  

Muneera’s mother is old and fatigued and therefore Muneera is the only breadwinner for her family and her widowed sister’s family of six members. Today Muneera is 38 years of age. She is unemployed by the government but designs and sews. Throughout the years she proved to be the backbone of the family through her strong attitude and sacrifices. Due to the continued conflicts in Iraq, displacement, and family’s financial instability, she was never able to continue her education and go to college. She studied only to the last year of high school and dropped out when her father feared for his daughters’ safety during the conflict.

Before her father passed away in 2017, he made his will to Muneera on the hospital bed that she should continue her studies and to go to college. He told her that education is a weapon and that it guarantees future employment in the government. Government employment is highly valued by Iraqis as it guarantees lifetime retirement income whereas this is not possible in the private sector, as in the private sector there is no retirement benefits and plans.

Muneera slept that night by her father’s side in the hospital listening to his last will as he departed in her arms. Muneera said, “It was his last moments, and he was making a will. He died and left a big gap.  We were very sad; the whole family broke down. But I was strong, and I would not let my family feel at all the cost of the house rent and I was working day and night.”

Muneera started to sew to make ends meet for her family. Meanwhile she wished to continue her education. Muneera shared, “I wished to continue my education and work, but my mom was against it. She advised that I stay at home. We had a difficult time, but we passed them by.”

Muneera’s mother comes from a conservative family, and she didn’t encourage Muneera to continue her education because she feared about what society might think of Muneera and feared for Muneera’s reputation going out of home often. So, Muneera continued to sew within the confines of her home helping her family.

Muneera continued, “There were organisations offering help, but only to widowed and divorced women. But when I was writing “single woman”, they would not consider me. One day World Vision made an announcement on Facebook about a project, and I said “let’s try my luck”. I filled out the application and submitted it. After a year or less, they called me and told that I was registered. I almost forgot I applied so it was a big happiness.”

Muneera entered a ten-day business development training and sewing skills training programme and received a grant. Through the grant she received, she bought a new modern sewing machine and an ironing machine. Muneera said, “My idea was new to them as it was tailoring medical aprons. I knew how to tailor, and I tailored medical and school aprons. I improved after receiving the grant. It is not a 100 percent improvement because it depends on demand, customer’s request, and the market. Some of the medical aprons I made I gave away to the medical teams so that they see my tailoring skills and what I can offer. And the school aprons I gave away to orphan students.  Also I invested in some others (tailored aprons).”

Through her invested tailored aprons Muneera could pay for Luma’s doctor visits  and the home rent. Muneera said, “My home rent is high. I could not rent a store. So, I designated a room in my house for tailoring and put out a plate on the door for the name of the atelier. When people see my work in the market, they tell me to open a store, but I tell them I don’t have the financial means. First I have my little girl who is suffering from illness and skin treatments are very expensive. Sometimes I need to borrow money from neighbors to pay for my needs. If I wouldn't have need for doctor’s treatment, I would probably be able to open a store. But the rent, the doctor’s treatment, and the family’s needs are all expensive.”

Nowadays, Muneera is grateful that God has compensated her with Luma. Muneera noticed that Luma is very open minded and smart. When Luma’s friends tease her at school, she tells them that her mom has not made her need anything.

Muneera said, “God compensates you with things you never think of. I wish that my project would become big and that Luma’s wishes would come true.”

Muneera has dreams now. She wishes to open an apron factory with her sisters. She doesn’t want to limit herself to sewing but also to designing them.

Through the Micro Grants Business under WASH Accelerator programme started in November 2022, World Vision Iraq aims at improving income-generating capacity for women and people living with disability in Kirkuk and Hawija. Muneera is one of the hundred women to participate in the project.

*Names have been changed to protect identity.