State Department Grants Support Iraqi Female Heads of Household

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
October 22, 2010

MEDIA NOTE

The Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues and the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Announce Grants to Support Iraqi Widows and Female Heads of Household

The Department of State has awarded $5 million in grants to several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide direct support and training to Iraqi widows, female heads of household and other vulnerable women in Iraq in the areas of literacy, entrepreneurship, and vocational skills.

The training will be conducted by the NGOs and is tailored to local market opportunities to achieve economic empowerment and sustainable livelihoods for the women and their families. The NGOs that received the grant will help create access to employment opportunities for women by involving businesses, government, parliamentary committees, and academic institutions directly in the project. Additionally the grants will ensure that these women fully understand their economic, legal, social, and political rights.

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(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)