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CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq , Oct. 13, 2009 – Starting a business can be rewarding and fulfilling. But succeeding in business in a volatile economy is something some would say requires a miracle. E. Walter Koenig, left, economic team leader for the provincial reconstruction team in Iraq’s Basra province, shakes hands with Novri Mohsen Aeamish, a member of the team's mentorship program and recent recipient of one of 30 microgrants. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Maurice A. Galloway  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The 17th Fires Brigade and the provincial reconstruction team in Iraq’s Basra province have provided...

BAGHDAD — Seven business owners in the Jisr Diyala area received a $500 micro-grant from the Commanders Emergency Relief Program, Feb. 12. Since April 2008, Task Force 1-35 Armor has given numerous micro-grants to jump start and continue economic growth in Iraqi communities. The recipients underwent a rigorous application process by the Iraqi National Police and Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers. “These micro-grants are an opportunity for [Task Force] 1-35 to invest in the long term stability of the region’s economy,” said Capt. Andy Besser, from Raleigh, N.C., the civil military operations officer, TF 1-35 Armor. These latest business owners...

In an effort to spur businesses along at the grass-roots level, coalition forces have been offering up microgrants for businesses in areas where security is strong enough that more attention can be turned to economic development programs. In the Dura’Iyah area, an effort also was made to incorporate female business owners into the initiative. While the numbers were small — only about five female-run shops were part of the project — the effort showcases what type of role soldiers are now playing in many rural zones free of the volatility and day-to-day threats encountered in places such as Sadr City....

First Lt. Otis Ingram, a Colorado Springs, Colo., native, watches as a customer picks up his purchase of eggs at a shop in Husseiniya Feb. 26. Ingram talked to the store owner about the micro-grant program designed to help business owners improve their shops. Photo by Pfc. April Campbell, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs. HUSSEINIYA — As the door opened, the shop owner momentarily halted his conversation with the unexpected visitor to tend to the needs of a customer who walked into his dimly lit store, Feb. 26. After the customer left the store with his...

BAGHDAD, Dec. 7, 2007 – Troops from Battery A, 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, and a civil affairs team from 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion handed out $10,000 in micro-grant funds to an Iraqi small business and a home for mentally handicapped children. A baker whisks hot bread out of an oven while troops from the 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, get ready to hand $5,000 to the bakery's owner as part of a micro-grant program in Baghdad’s Qadisiyah neighborhood, Dec. 1, 2007. Photo by Spc. Alexis Harrison, USA  (Click photo for...