Dutch social enterprise Mamosa is launching a new mobile app and website offering vocational e-learning courses designed for young people in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Syria. 

The platform provides accessible online training and a digital marketplace, helping war-affected women and youth learn new skills, showcase their talents, find clients, and generate income – all from within their own homes and communities.

“In Kurdistan, women and youth don’t lack talent, they lack access. When access arrives, transformation begins,” Shapol Majid, Founder and CEO of Mamosa, told Kurdistan Chronicle.

“With Mamosa, we bring learning and opportunity directly into their hands, so they can build a future with dignity where they live.”

Mamosa, which means “teacher” in Sorani Kurdish, focuses on young people who have had little or no access to formal education, leaving them trapped in uncertainty. 

Through short, practical online courses accessible via mobile phones, participants gain the skills and confidence needed to become self-reliant. The integrated online bazar allows learners to sell their products and services directly to customers, connecting education to real economic opportunities.

Mamosa offers e-learning and vocational projects in the Middle East, North Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya. The organization develops practical, skill-based training in collaboration with local and international partners, enabling vulnerable youth to build sustainable livelihoods. Mamosa believes that access to education and skills is the foundation for self-reliance, economic growth, and lasting peace.

Majid is a social entrepreneur dedicated to education, inclusion, and women’s economic empowerment. At age 16, she fled conflict in the Kurdistan Region with her father and eventually rebuilt her life in the Netherlands.

She is a Fellow of the Vital Voices Global Partnership in Washington D.C. and was a finalist for the WE Empower UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Challenge in 2015. She was also recognized as an honorary member of the Meaningful Business 100, an international distinction honoring entrepreneurs who advance the UN SDGs. 

In addition, she is a cohort member of the Fall 2025 accelerator program of the Founder Institute, a Silicon Valley-rooted organization and the world’s largest pre-seed startup accelerator, supporting ambitious founders through mentorship, a structured program, and access to a global network to build scalable technology companies.

Before founding Mamosa, Majid launched Khanem, a Kurdish lingerie brand created by and for women, which received extensive coverage in the Dutch media. She studied Middle Eastern Studies in Utrecht and Law in London. She lives in Utrecht and speaks Kurdish, Arabic, Dutch, and English.