Site Visit Highlight: Odessa, Iraq

In June, ICAN’s M&E Consultant, Randa Yassir, travelled to Mosul, Iraq for a site visit to Odessa Organization for Women Development (Odessa) to assess the impact of Odessa’s IPF-funded “We Build Peace” project. The initiative promotes women’s participation in decisionmaking and influences local policymaking to reintegrate families associated with ISIS into the community.

During the visit, Yassir conducted a focus group discussion with women associated with ISIS, who were part of Odessa’s project. As a result of their former association with ISIS, they had felt social isolation and guilt, lacked knowledge about their legal rights, and had limited opportunities to associate with other women in Mosul. The women shared testimonies on how the project has transformed their well-being and status within the community. The project enabled them to create networks with other women in the community and legally document their children. Some were able to pursue educational opportunities. The women are disseminating the knowledge and skills gained with others in their circles, furthering promoting the reintegration and social cohesion of women in Mosul.

An unexpected outcome was the change in the participants’ views on early marriage. The women involved in the project are now raising awareness around this topic and no longer marrying their daughters off at an early age.