The Empowerment of Iraqi Women

Capt. Ann Demapan, Women's Initiatives coordinator, Multi-National Division – South, speaks to Iraqi women at a conference held at the Basra Airport recently to discuss business opportunities available to educated women.

Train them how to shoot, they know how to vote, now help them make some money:

BASRA, Iraq (August 6, 2009) – More than fifty Iraqi women met with Soldiers and contractors recently at the Basra Airport to discuss opportunities in business development and business contracting.


A large portion of the conference was dedicated to explaining opportunities with Joint Contracting Command – Iraq's Women-Owned Business Initiative, a program that reserves Department of Defense contracts for businesses primarily owned by women.


"The target audience for the conference was educated women because contracting normally deals with a huge scope of work that requires specialties in engineering and business management," explained Capt. Ann Demapan, Women's Initiatives coordinator, Multi-National Division - South. "Programs like these can prove to both men and women that women are competitive and competent in almost any field of work."Jasim Al-Sarraf, a business development consultant with Regional Contracting Center – Basra, concurred.


"Most contractors are men," said Al-Sarraf, a native of Baghdad. "We know for sure that there are many educated women in this society. The university is pumping students out every year.""They need jobs. They need income," added Al-Sarraf. "And if they don't have it they'll end up sitting at home."


Civil Affairs and contractors such as JCC-I assist Iraqi women by introducing business opportunities as well as providing training along every step of becoming a contracted company. From filling out paperwork to learning the rules and ethics of contracting, these women are guided through the process of establishing and learning how to manage a DoD contract. "It's our job to find them, get them out, encourage them to have a company, show them the way to do it and train them," said Al Sarraf.


In 2008, JCC-I awarded four percent of all contracting to women-owned businesses, totaling $187 million. Following successes in the past, this year the aspirations are even higher."Joint Contracting Command - Iraq has made it a goal to award 10 percent of its contracts to women contractors," said Demapan. "Women contractors will only compete amongst other women contractors. Past contracts done by women contractors resulted in quality, professional work."

What is great about the recent advances in Iraq, is that they are self sustaining, from security to strengthening women's rights:

In addition to aspirations of becoming contracted, Iraqi women at the conference expressed a desire to give back to their communities."Some of the women were very passionate in wanting to help other women in rural areas," Demapan said. "Some spoke of outreach programs concerning health care and humanitarian assistance for women in rural areas."

Good Work!