A displaced Iraqi, Rabeea, has opened a sweet factory using resources from Christian organisations designed to help people get back on their feet, and is employing other displaced people.
He is producing traditional Iraqi sweets, sorjuq or halqoum. ‘We deliver our products to shops all over the country,’ he says. ‘But most of the sweets go to Suleymaniyah, Zakho and Shaklawa (towns across northeastern Iraq). We even have requests from abroad, but for now, with the current situation in our country, that is impossible.’
Providing a living
Rabeea, 38, opened the factory in March to provide a living for families like his own, who sought refuge in Erbil in August 2014 when Islamic State forced many Christians to flee their towns in the Nineveh plains. Although the church in Erbil welcomed them as guests, they wanted to earn their own income and be less reliant on aid provided to internally displaced people.
