Through WAFIRA, Women Are Building Their Independence

Moroccan native Fatima Laanieg always hoped to open her own grocery store, dreaming of having stake over her own independence while still giving her family financial structure. Where she once relied on her husband’s finances, Fatima now owns a grocery shop, her entrepreneurial skills shining through.

Four years ago, Fatima heard out about an opportunity to work abroad as a seasonal agricultural worker in Spain. She registered, tackling fears of leaving her family behind. Fatima found that, in the end, everything went well; working conditions were fine and she faced no difficulties in her transition. Still, there was a voice in the back of mind that kept telling her to look for something else, to start her own business. She just didn’t know where to begin.

In 2022, shortly after making her ex-patriation to Spain, Fatima received a call from ANAPEC, Morocco’s National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Skills. They told the budding entrepreneur that there was a programme designed to help women seasonal agricultural workers develop their own business.

There, she had a start: she would open her own grocery store at least.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) hosts a programme called WAFIRA, which stands for “Women as financially independent rural actors,” which allows women to explore business endeavors through seminars and workshops.

Fatima eagerly participated in WAFIRA’s opportunities, eventually learning how to start her own business, “keep paperwork in order, how to deal with clients, and how to work with suppliers.”

To this day, Fatima still visits Spain for four months out of the year to work, but when she is home her schedule is busy with her grocery store’s requirements.

Things for Fatima have changed dramatically: people in town know her, recognizing her for her grocery shop. “It’s given me real self-confidence,” Fatima said, “I talk to people without fear. This project has given me inner strength.”

WAFIRA opened a door for Fatima and several other women hoping to break into the business world and make their dreams a reality.

For more information, please visit ILO.