(MENAFN- asda'a-bcw) Things that are worth doing are worth doing well. When Fine Hygienic Holding selected Al Koura District as the candidate for a new community outreach initiative, the plan was not to move in quickly, make a small contribution, and then leave without addressing any of the underlying issues. Fine’s vision was to undertake a long-term sustainable development program that would empower the people of Koura to fend for themselves, and to address those underlying issues themselves.
The project required the efforts of many loyal partners and the willing participation of the people of Al Koura, and took many years to become established and gather the momentum it need. Today, Khair Al Koura initiative is revolutionizing the lives of women across the district and has become a source of hope and pride for its 120,000 inhabitants.
Wafa’a Abu Shuqier was one such woman from Al Koura. “Before joining Khair Al Koura initiative, I led a very normal life like any other housewife, responsible for taking care of my family. But since I began working, my entire perspective on life has changed – I’ve become more self-confident, and I have gained a lot of skills and experience from Khair Al Koura.”
Wafa’a has been a part of Fine’s initiative from the start, initially taking part in the program’s skills training sessions, and working her way up to becoming a supervisor at the food processing workshop. The goal of Khair Al Koura initiative was not simply to help the people of Al Koura, but to teach them to help themselves by establishing self-sustaining enterprises and providing the means for learning and skills development.
“We had a very rigorous training program at the initiative over the past six years, which covered everything we needed to know to help run a small business,” said Wafa’a. “We started off with only two employees in the workshop, but grew over the years to 15 women in production across 3 different projects!”
Today, Al Koura has a chemical-free farming project, a food processing workshop, a country kitchen, and a packaging and labelling workshop, all staffed and operated by the women of the district. These enterprises not only support the district economically, but also provide their employees with much-needed financial security. “This job has allowed me to support my family financially, which was something I was never able to do before,” said Wafa’a. “Having this job has also given me a new purpose in life, and provided a routine that enables me to be a wife, a mother, and a professional.”
Khair Al Koura Project does more than showcase the benefit of Public-Private Partnerships in a social context – it highlights the value of fostering sustainable development at the community level. While Fine is proud of its role in Al Koura’s success, it is the community that is driving progress itself. Women like Wafa’a have shown tremendous initiative in running and growing the enterprises themselves, and serve as a shining example of determination and local leadership.
MENAFN0209201900709143ID1098953194
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.