By Ahmad Bulla, Nineveh
By Ahmad Bulla, Nineveh
Designing and making accessories was a challenge for Nagham Taher, who studied engineering, since up today it is a profession that is more associated with men.
When she took her first step, Nagham faced a difficult beginning, which involved finding a store and providing workers and customers for her products, but she determined to go on.
“In the beginning, the demand for accessories was very limited. My customers were only my relatives and friends,” said Nagham about her launch six years ago, but now she owns a large project in the city of Mosul, center of war-torn Nineveh Province.
The idea of the profession dates back to her childhood, but she was unable to hone her talent after her marks took her towards another field, so she graduated years ago from the College of Engineering.
Her academic degree did not erase her passion for accessory design. As soon as she graduated, she returned to fulfill her dream of designing jewelry and accessories and began honing her talent. At first, she received training courses on the principles of design and making accessories and ornamental pieces.
“After learning the profession, I thought about how to turn this talent into a project.” Nagham’s next step was on social media platforms, specifically Facebook and Instagram, where she created two pages to display her handicrafts and record customers’ requests.
Nagham says that despite the small number of orders she received, she did not give up, until the orders increased, and she participated in several exhibitions and markets to promote her work.
“Although the profession I chose was restricted to men more, with training and developing our talents we were able to overcome this challenge,” Nagham proudly said.
The accessories design practiced by Nagham and her colleagues has become a model for a project run by girls only in Mosul.
Before opening her own shop, Nagham used to make accessories with her sister at home in various designs for her customers, using different materials such as gold and silver.
In the beginning, their works were produced with very simple equipment, Nagham recalls.
"Then we were able to expand the project. We opened our own shop in Mosul. At first it was just me and my sister, but now we have six girls working together."
Nagham says that the girls who joined the work received training on how to make accessories to polish their talents and are scheduled to receive further training.
Until two years ago, the demand for the items produced by the Nagham Project were from Mosul only, but now they receive orders from other governorates as well, such as Erbil, Najaf, Basra and other cities.
The prosperity of work has improved the income of Nagham and her co-workers.
“Our goal is to employ people who love the profession because this ensures quick learning and creativity. Therefore, when we employ girls, we do not focus on their educational level and academic certificates.”
Nagham, whose heart goes out to the girls and women of her city, wants them to face challenges and not give up their talents, so she plans to encourage others to excel in this field through a series of educational videos.
“I am very happy to see the women and girls of Mosul running their own projects and relying on themselves.”
