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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A young woman from Erbil is challenging gender norms by pursuing a career in electrical repair, a field traditionally dominated by men.
After graduating from 12th grade, Dahat Jangi chose a non-traditional path by enrolling in a 45-day mobile phone repair course instead of attending college.
'In the beginning, it was really difficult because I had no experience,' Jangi told Rudaw. 'But with support from the trainers and the Rwanga team, I improved. In the future, I hope to open my own phone repair shop and become the first woman in Kurdistan to do so.'
Jangi was one of 40 participants in a vocational training program run by the Rwanga Foundation - an Erbil-based non-profit organization founded in 2013 with a mission to create 'a world where quality education is accessible for all.'
The program offered training in two key professions: tailoring and mobile phone repair.
Rezhin Mohsen, another participant, chose to study tailoring - a skill she views as essential for personal independence. 'When I learned about the tailoring course, I decided to take it so I could be independent,' she explained.
The vocational initiative is a collaboration between the Rwanga Foundation, the Institute for University Cooperation Onlus (ICU), and the Catholic University in Erbil.
Govar Haris, Rwanga's director of public relations, explained that the current training is just the first phase. 'The second stage involves three days of training on workplace adaptation and collaboration with business owners,' he said.
In the final stage, participants will gain hands-on experience through a three-month internship with local companies. Afterward, 'they will attend additional workshops to apply their skills hands-on within the companies.'
Launched in 2024, the two-year project aims to empower youth through practical skill-building and increase their employment opportunities in the Kurdistan Region.
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