Voices from Peace Winds Vocational Training: Episode 3
“In real life, it is almost impossible to obtain job opportunities with academic qualifications alone.” This is what Hamed, a dedicated participant in Peace Winds’ vocational training course, told us about his reason for participating.
Since September 2020, Peace Winds has been providing vocational training courses inside and outside Shariya Camp in Shariya Sub District, Duhok Governorate, northern Iraq for internally displaced persons (IDPs)–people who have been forced out of their homes but remain in their country. Participants, including women and youth, can take courses in home maintenance (electricity and plumbing), cosmetology, and leadership, helping them gain skills they can use to find future income-earning opportunities or contribute to the community.
Peace Winds will share voices of the program’s participants in four separate articles. In this third article, you’ll hear from Hamed, who participated in the vocational training course for home maintenance.
Hamed is 23 and lives with his 10 family members in the Shariya IDP camp. Immediately after the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) attacked his hometown in Sinjar, Iraq in August 2014, Hamed moved with his family to Duhok Governorate in northern Iraq. His family stayed in a closed school building at first before moving to the Shariya camp in search of a better life.
Hamed has a Bachelor of Basic Education from the Department of History, but finding a job with his education background alone seemed impossible. Still, he did not give up hope. Hamed tried to start up a small business selling food in a shop but ended up having to close it down due to economic hardship. In poverty after the loss of his business, he checked local job markets and said he realized how important it is “to obtain vocational skills that open up more job opportunities.’’
Hamed eventually found out that Peace Winds had opened registration for vocational training on home maintenance, and he immediately signed up for the course. In the first part of the training, Hamed learned basic knowledge and skills for electricity and plumbing in the classroom and in field activities. Hamed was highly motivated and said that the internship program that followed the coursework was a great chance to get involved in the business world of home maintenance. After successfully completing the training course, Hamed is now using his skills to work independently for neighbors, earning income for himself and his family, and seeking better opportunities.
Peace Winds believes in the power of youth and has been pleased to witness our vocational training participants gain confidence and broaden their opportunities. As we have done with the home maintenance course, Peace Winds will continue to offer vocational training opportunities while considering the cultural, social, and job market characteristics of the target region to ensure the effectiveness of the program.
This activity was funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and generous donations from our supporters. Thank you for your continued support.
To read other articles from the vocational training series, visit https://peacewindsamerica.org/blog/