Zeinab, 43, is a mother of seven living in Kofranjeh-Ajloun, Jordan. The job market is tough these days, especially for new graduates like her three daughters, which is why Zeinab had to think outside the box. “My daughters graduated from university and they tried to find jobs but they couldn’t find anything.” Zeinab realised her village was missing a gym and, with her girls having degrees in sports and nutrition, she decided to give it a try and develop a business where they would be employed. She took out a loan in 2018 and opened her gym.

“The training was very useful. They taught us how to work as a team, to cooperate and respect each other, in addition to preparing us for a future job."

Alliance 1325, an Iraqi national initiative that advocates for women’s rights and the implementation of Iraq’s National Action Plan (NAP) for the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325, held a two-day National Civil Society Conference on 3-4 February in the framework of the ‘Madad for Women’ project funded by the European Union through the EU’s Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, the EU ‘Madad Fund’. The conference was also supported by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).