The Project in Kurdistan Iraq

652 women benefitted

The project in Kurdistan Iraq was for 12 months in 2023-2024 and 652 women benefitted. Anna Rósa, a clinical herbalist, visited Iraq twice for hands-on training and Eman, our local Kurdish teacher, taught the workshops between Anna Rósa’s visits. According to a survey, on a 1-10 scale, satisfaction with the workshops was at 8.2. Moreover, an overwhelming majority of women wanted to learn more about medicinal herbs.

We handed out 687 products

We held many workshops in three refugee camps and handed out 687 products. Products were chosen by the women based on their needs – for example, remedies for pain, burns and wounds. Additionally, we supplied many cups of herbal teas and tea recipes for various complaints. Many women told us how useful they found these products for all sorts of ailments.

The project was stopped

The Kurdish authorities in Iraq ended this project in 2024 after 12 months. According to them it was too dangerous to teach uneducated women how to make Chamomile ointment and herbal teas. The women could possibly harm themselves and others with this sort of knowledge. We are still trying to find ways to continue with this project.

Herbal Sisters

Our project was called Herbal Sisters and was in collaboration with the Lotus Flower organisation. Since 2014 that organisation has run many successful projects in refugee camps in Kurdistan Iraq. The Lotus Flower staff was a great help to Anna Rósa for which we are immensely grateful.

Terrific course!

Bahar Mirza lives in the Esyan refugee camp in Kurdistan. She is 47 years old. She grew up in Sinjar district in Iraq but the ISIS invasion in 2014 forced her to flee along with her family. She spends her days taking care of household work and tending a number of sheep she owns. This is what Bahar has to say about the ointment course of Anna Rósa: „To me it was absolutely terrific. Something I had never experienced before. On top of that I could keep the ointment we made. I love this ointment.“

Women attending the workshops

In the words of the Icelandic poet Tómas Guðmundsson the hearts of people are much the same anywhere in the world. To Anna Rósa, our clinical herbalist, there wasn’t much difference in teaching women to make ointments, in Iceland as well as in the refugee camps in Kurdistan. The enthusiasm and joy were the same.

The Lotus Flower

If it wasn´t for the cooperation with the Lotus Flower we would have been completely sidelined. Their super helpful staff made this project possible. A lot of people gave us their help and assistance and here you can see some of them.

The women in the market

These women sold us some of the herbs used in the workshops. Therefore the project not only empowers women in refugee camps but also these local women.