A Journey of Dedication and Resilience

The pandemic

Tamara grew up in the age of technology. Equipped with passion and dedication, she dreamed of a day when a few mouse clicks could alter the world. However, as with many great dreamers, Tamara had her share of obstacles in pursuing her goal. When COVID-19 struck the globe, Iraqi markets were not spared the aftermath. With an economy still recovering from a 6-year ISIL battle, many local businesses had to close their doors in the face of the pandemic. Moreover, many families were left with no income, and that included Tamara’s family. The young girl, excited to start her first year of university, now had to pause her education. Due to the struggling economy, her father could no longer pay for her and her three other siblings’ tuition. However, this was not the end of Tamara’s ambitious journey.

“The only chance to continue my education…”

With an unshaken will, Tamara kept searching for opportunities to chase her goal. That was when she crossed paths with SPARK’s scholarship. In 2021, Tamara resumed her journey with the support of the EU Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian crisis, the ‘MADAD’ fund and a scholarship provided by SPARK after being cut off from her education for a full year.

The scholarships provided opportunities for many students to continue their education despite the economic conditions in the country. Moreover, SPARK provided soft skills and capacity development courses that went along with their academic studies. These together presented an unmatched opportunity; as Tamara mentioned, “the scholarship was the only chance to proceed with my education. Not only was I able to study for free, but the skill-up training prepared me to enter the challenging labour market.”

The Post Graduation Journey

In 2022, Tamara completed her scholarship and graduated from the Computer Systems Institution at the Northern Technical University in Mosul. Equipped with a new set of soft skills and an academic background, SPARK enrolled Tamara in an internship with Royal Eagle Travel Agency. The internship marked the beginning of a new journey for Tamara. Talking about the experience, Tamara iterated: “The internship was a crucial path for me to utilise all that I have learned in the past two years. Now, I am in contact with real customers and helping them plan their vacations and trips.” She added, “Soft Skills sessions prepared me well for the post-graduation period by improving my skills in English language, time management, dealing with potential customers, preparing my CV, and how to function in a job interview.”

A testimony of hope from the ruins of Nineveh

Tamara’s perseverance and diligence demonstrate that dreams can come true. She proved that dedication and determination can lead to success even in the hardest situations.  

With the support of the European Union through the EU Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian crisis, the ‘MADAD’ fund, SPARK has been helping many others like Tamara to pursue their dreams, continue their education, and shine bright in the conflict-affected areas. Scholarships and skills-development courses have enabled many young Iraqis affected by the different crises the country faced to continue successful journeys into the job market.