Partners International envisioned a place where women would be able to seek encouragement, learning, and fellowship in a safe environment. On May 16, the first ever Ruth Center was born in Northern Iraq.

About 100 women came to this momentous occasion. Even women from as far as Baghdad, Irbil, Suleymania, and Kirkuk, under perilous conditions, came to pay tribute on this historical day for the Kurdish women.

In a culture that is male-dominated, where women are unable to be at the same position as men, this women’s center provides a place where women can keep up with the latest innovations and knowledge, and a way for women to socialize with other women.

This center has an exercise room, library, computer room, meeting room, and a cafeteria which can seat 100 people.

From Partners International, Marty St. Onge, the representative from the financial and prayer partners in the USA, came and warmly greeted the women. She stated that, “the Ruth Center is a real inspiration,” and that, “this was a place women can call their own.”

An important focus of this center is to provide counseling services for the women who come to the center seeking a place of refuge. One of the ministry partners described their situation by saying that, “women in this society put on a beautiful image, but when you touch their hearts you see how afraid and unhappy they are.”

“Partners International is a global ministry that works to create and grow communities of Christian witness in partnership with God’s people in the least Christian regions of the world.”