IWEI’s Small Grant and NGO Capacity Building Initiative

IWEI’s Small Grant and Capacity Building Initiative is designed to promote the capacity and sustainability of Iraqi women’s NGOs in south central and southern Iraq so that they can be an active part of Iraq’s nascent civil society. This initiative will assist, support and train Iraqi women through: (1) the development of sustainable and independent Iraqi women’s NGOs; (2) the advancement and support of Iraqi women’s economic empowerment, including skills training and job creation for women; (3) efforts to support and advance Iraqi women’s ability to advocate for women’s human rights; and (4) development and support of two women’s resource centers in Karbala and Basra.

Through this small-grants program, IWEI will develop and sustain capacity building and institutional support of 15 independent Iraqi women’s NGOs in southern and south central Iraq. IWEI will provide resource materials (make link to resource materials section on the website) for purposes of NGO training to the NGOs on topics such as NGO management, advocacy, use of technology and the media and grant-writing proposals.

IWEI will also develop two NGO women’s empowerment and resource centers (the Centers).  One Center will be located in Basra.  The other will be located in Karbala.  Each Center will: (1) house written materials related to NGO capacity building for independent Iraqi women’s NGOs in southern and south central Iraq concentrating on the economic empowerment of Iraqi women and women’s human rights; (2) provide a forum where women from the region can meet, host speakers and acquire skills training; and (3) serve as a place were women can gain knowledge about economic development and women’s human rights. The Centers will be operated by two of the NGOs selected for micro-grants as part of our program. In so doing, IWEI will be actively supporting women’s organizations ability to advocate for change in their own societies.