July 21, 2025
News
In the Christian town of Bartella in northern Iraq, 24-year-old Iman sits at her work table, brushing resin onto smooth stones and arranging beads into intricate designs. From this small room in her family home, Iman has built a flourishing handwork business, one rooted in tradition, creativity, and determination. With support from Caritas Czech Republic, she has turned a simple post-graduation hobby into a livelihood that now reaches customers as far away as Canada.
A craft born from patience and purpose
After completing a degree in communication engineering at the University of Ninewa in Mosul, Iman returned to Bartella and found herself at a crossroads. Job opportunities were limited, and she was not sure what came next. “After graduation, I had no job and nothing to do,” she says. “So I started creating things with the little I had, just to fill the time,” she says. Those early projects, made with basic materials and intention, laid the groundwork for something much greater.
Inspired by her father, a local artist, and fuelled by her own eye for detail, Iman began to develop her own style of handmade goods. She works with resin and epoxy, creating customised items such as wedding invitations painted on stones, personalised gifts, and traditional crafts like “mesbaha” prayer beads. Each piece can take days, or even weeks, to complete, depending on the difficulity and the customer’s vision.
Business skills that turned a hobby into a future
Iman’s business grew significantly after joining a Caritas Czech Republic initative supporting vulnerable minorities in Ninewa. As part of the initiative, Iman received business training and a grant to help expand her operations.
“The training taught me how to plan, manage, and grow my business properly,” she explains. “It helped me understand what it takes to turn this work into something sustainable.” With the grant, Iman purchased better tools and materials, allowing her to take on more orders and improve the quality of her products.
Today, she works full-time from home, with one room dedicated entirely to her craft. Her customers come not only from Bartella but also from Mosul, Erbil, and even abroad. She is currently preparing a set of wedding invitations for a couple in Canada.
Iman dreams of opening a small factory in Bartell; that could serve as a hub for creative work and provide jobs for others in her community. “I want this place to become a model for handwork in our area,” she says. Her love for her work is clear,“there isn’t one thing I like more than another. I love everything about this process.”
Caritas Czech Republic in Iraq
Caritas Czech Republic promoted economic inclusion and social recovery across Iraq. Through vocational training, entrepreneurship support, and small grants, we helped individuals, especially women and vulnerable minorities, rebuild their lives. In areas like Bartella, where communities are still recovering from conflict and displacement, even small investments create lasting change. Iman’s story is a prime example of what can happen when talent is nurtured and given room to grow. With continued support, more young people like her can turn their passions into professions and help revive their communities.
