Money for Work-A project to increase the green spaces in Kobani

Kobani Relief and Development Organization (NGO) is implementing the “Money for Work” project, which aims at planting trees, caring for gardens and increasing green spaces in the city of Kobani / Ein Al Arab. In addition, it provides financial support to the needy people in order to help them secure their livelihood. 

The project is supported by Norway’s NPA organization; it provides employment for 112 workers for three months, 70% of which are women workers who support their families. 

Administrative in Kobani Relief and Development Organization Isaac Bozi told North Press that they had implemented their project for two months in earlier periods (at the end of 2018 and beginning of 2019). The organization is currently working on the project for an additional month so the total length of the duration becomes three months. 

 

The project aims to support poor families, where more than 100 people benefit from the project financially, of which the most are widowed women who support their families. The workers are chosen according to the organization’s criteria providing that 70% of the women, the displaced and the needy should benefit from it. 

The organization is planting /1700/ ornamental trees within the current project in the midlines of the streets, parks and public places inside the city of Kobani. 

The project supervisor, Sherzad Ahmed Muhammed, explains that they planted several types of trees in the midlines of the Forest Road and the Street 48, Al-Saraya Park, the /19/ July Park, Aleppo’s Road, the road of Haleng village and at Kobani Hospital in downtown.

He said that in addition to planting trees, the workers involved in the project are serving the parks, which include weeding, watering and spraying fertilizers. He clarifies that their task is to plant trees, but the municipality is responsible for watering and caring.

Nafid Ibrahim, one of the participating workers in the project, said that they work five hours for 7 dollars per day i.e.(four thousand Syrian pounds), he asserted that their work helps them to preserve the beauty of the city on one hand and secure their livelihood on the other hand. 

Ibrahim demands that the project to be extended for six months or even a whole year, because it is considered one of the important opportunities of job.

Zarifa Khalaf, a displaced woman from the village of Qabasin (45 km east of Aleppo)to Kobani, explained that she had this opportunity to work in the project after she has been looking for work for several months. Describing that the work is not exhausting for women and the income is good which helps them to secure their livelihood under difficult financial conditions of the displaced people.

Khalaf adds that there are about /70/ women working in the project, which helps to decorate the city with trees and preserve the environment. She demands that the project to be extended so that workers, especially women who are the only breadwinners of their families, benefit more.

The project “Money for Work” is the second of its kind carried out by Kobani Relief and Development Organization, where the organization has planted /2500/ trees in the city in the previous project which lasted for three months from February to May 2018 worked in the project/95/workers /60/of them are women and /35/ are men.