Local Engineers Powering Change in Nineveh

As many of us experience another period of intense summer heat here in the UK, we are reminded that climate change is no longer a distant or abstract concern. In Iraq, one of the countries most vulnerable to its effects, the consequences are already reshaping people’s daily lives, livelihoods and decisions about where their families can build a future.

That is why we are delighted to share that Mosaic’s new Solar Engineering project in Nineveh is now fully up and running.

Part of our long-established Nineveh SEED livelihoods programme, the project now provides skilled employment for four local engineers. Together, they are installing solar power systems for homes, businesses and community facilities across northern Iraq, helping local people access cleaner, more reliable electricity.

But the project goes much further than installation.

The engineers are also training local people to understand, maintain and repair their solar systems. This means that communities are not left dependent on outside expertise when something goes wrong. Instead, knowledge is shared locally, systems can continue working for longer, and participants gain practical skills that may open further employment opportunities.

This is sustainability in its fullest sense: not simply providing a piece of equipment, but investing in people, skills and local capacity.

Thank you to everyone who has donated to our Nineveh SEED projects and for making this dream become a reality.

Before the team started on site, the local qualified engineers gathered in the office for a full briefing.

Locally Designed, Locally Led

The Solar Engineering project has been developed with Mosaic’s trusted local partners, who understand both the practical needs of their communities and the abilities and aspirations of the people who live there.

This local leadership is essential. The engineers are not passive recipients of assistance. They are skilled professionals using their knowledge to build a viable enterprise, solve problems within their own communities and train others.

They are helping to shape a more sustainable future for Nineveh.

For communities still recovering from conflict and displacement, secure employment can also be a powerful reason to stay or to return. Research published by the United Nations in 2026 found that poverty and unemployment remain widespread among displaced people, returnees and host communities in Iraq. However, employment is associated not only with greater economic security, but also with stronger trust, social contact, civic participation and more inclusive attitudes.

This is why livelihoods are such an important part of peacebuilding.

When skilled people cannot find work, emigration or renewed displacement can begin to feel like the only possible future. For Iraq’s Christian, Yazidi and other minority communities, continued departure also threatens the survival of ancient communities that have formed part of the country’s rich social fabric for generations.

If you would like to donate to future Nineveh SEED projects to support the community going forward please click on the donate button. Thank you.