South Rasheed Women's Council opens new headquarters

ISKANDARIYAH, IRAQ

05.12.2008

Courtesy Story

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs

By the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs Office

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – Members of the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment's Civil Affairs team and the South Rasheed Women's Initiative met May 9 to see the completed renovation of their new headquarters in Alemia, south of Baghdad.

The refurbished building houses a sewing cooperative, which provides employment for members of the SRWI. Seven sewing machines and 20 rolls of fabric provide for the beginnings of what members hope will be a thriving cottage industry. The 1-30th Inf. Regt. provided $6,000 for the center's renovations through its commander's emergency response program. Sewing machines and supplies were purchased with $7,200 of U.S. Department of State funds, administered through the Baghdad-7 embedded provincial reconstruction team.

"In South Rasheed, we've been finding a lot of small projects and getting big payoffs," said Capt. Michael Fritz, governance and transition officer for the 1-30th Inf. Regt.

Members of the SRWI have been increasingly proactive, Fritz said, in developing their own organization and in working with their Nahia's women's council.

"It shows how small projects can make a big difference," said Fritz, a native of El Cajon, Calif.

The primary benefit of the sewing co-op, Fritz said, is providing employment to its members, many of them widows. In making locally-produced clothing, customers can purchase them at inexpensive prices.

The PRT also assisted the SRWI by purchasing $1,600 in medical supplies for the establishment of a health clinic. The clinic has already begun treating patients, charging them only a small fee to sustain operations.

The SRWI also gives local women a voice in their nahia-level government, said Fritz. Improved relations with the Rasheed nahia women's council shows how councils across the area are working together on their own, without coalition forces having to bring them to the table, he said.

"They've taken the ball and run with it," Fritz said. "They have a passion to better their community."

The 1-30 Inf. Regt. is part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd infantry Division, from Fort Stewart, Ga.

• Date Taken: 05.12.2008
• Date Posted: 05.12.2008 15:16
• Story ID: 19347
• Location: ISKANDARIYAH, IQ