10 YEARS HÁWAR.help: A MOMENT OF REFLECTION, SOLIDARITY, AND GRATITUDE

“We must now decide as a society: What is our currency – hate or hope? At HÁWAR.help, we have chosen hope.” – HÁWAR.help Founder Düzen Tekkal

A Promise to Humanity:
With a festive evening and powerful voices, the human rights organization HÁWAR.help celebrated its 10th anniversary. More than 300 guests hailing from politics, media, culture, and civil society gathered in Berlin to honor an organization born from the pain of genocide – and which today stands for hope, humanity, and solidarity.

10 Years HÁWAR.help – Between Remembrance, Solidarity, and Courage for the Future

The evening began with a musical performance by renowned pianist Igor Levit, who set the tone for the night – one that moved between pain and remembrance, hope and solidarity.

The evening was moderated by journalist and author Shila Behjat. As a member of the persecuted Baha’i religious community, she opened the evening with a powerful appeal to the strength of agency and one’s own voice: “If someone is here tonight with a little uncertainty, with a small question mark in their heart, then we can all learn something today: that being affected is never a destiny – we always have the power to become protagonists of that destiny. That is what makes HÁWAR.help and its five founders so truly special.”

In their joint opening speech, the five founders of HÁWAR.help – Düzen, Tuna, Tezcan, Tuğba, and Tülin Tekkal – reflected on the beginnings of the organization and the responsibility that has grown from it:

“An anniversary forces you to pause,” said Düzen Tekkal. “We are still a confronting force. We were founded on the ashes of the genocide against our religious community – the Yazidis. I want to say to you, and to them, today: Those who are close to death are also close to life. Life is resistance. We must now decide as a society: What is our currency – hate or hope? At HÁWAR.help, we have chosen hope. We started out alone – but we are no longer alone.”

Tülin Tekkal added: “Over these past 10 years – in which we’ve met so many people, our team members, everyone standing here – you are all part of this. We’ve grown together.”

Tuğba Tekkal spoke about her SCORING GIRLS* project:“We lead by example, we take action, and we support the people who participate in our projects.” She then handed the microphone to Kendah, one of the program participants, who just received her high school diploma a few days ago: “SCORING GIRLS* is more than a family. I’ve also learned something very, very important: It’s hard to speak up, it’s hard to be brave – but it gets easier every time you do it. And it’s important to keep going, because by doing so, I can be a role model for other girls.”

Finally, Düzen Tekkal emphasized: “Among us tonight are people whose parents were murdered by the Taliban; human rights organizations like HENGAW, which bring attention to human rights violations in Iran; survivors of genocide – people who live with deep pain. We, as a society, do not need to tell these people how to live their lives. What we must do is show solidarity – with all of them.”

Mariam Claren, co-initiator of HÁWAR.help’s sponsorship program for political prisoners in Iran, paid tribute to the courage and perseverance of those fighting for freedom – and to her mother Nahid Taghavi, who was finally released earlier this year after more than 1,500 days in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison: “HÁWAR comes from Kurdish and means ‘to call for help’ – to send out a cry for help. HÁWAR.help gave me and my colleagues Mina Khani and Daniela Sepehri a home for our work supporting the freedom movement in Iran and political prisoners.” In her speech, she emphasized the urgent need for international attention to political prisoners and the power of civil society solidarity – while also underlining the importance of financial support for NGOs: “Today I no longer stand here as someone directly affected – today, I stand here as the head of the Iran section at HÁWAR.help. Every day, we receive calls for help: from those affected, from the families of people sentenced to death, from the families of the executed. Every day, we do everything we can to respond to these cries. For that, we need help – please support us!”

An emotional highlight of the evening was the performance by singer Ayda Rastgoo, who, through her music, built a bridge to the freedom movement in Iran – one of HÁWAR.help’s key areas of work: “In the midst of all the storms in the world – wars, conflicts – this organization represents hope, humanity, and unity for me. That’s what HÁWAR.help has stood for over the past 10 years.”

Bärbel Bas, Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, honored the societal importance of HÁWAR.help in her speech and emphasized the indispensable role of civil society initiatives in the fight for human rights: “I want to take this opportunity today to say: Thank you for the past 10 years. What you do is a very special mission. This became clear to me when I spoke with Mariam Claren.” The Federal Minister had personally advocated for the release of Nahid Taghavi through her sponsorship. “Personally, I am incredibly impressed by the SCORING GIRLS* project – you empower so many girls who have experienced a lot.”

The cultural highlight of the evening was the Yazidi group: with singing and dancing, they powerfully demonstrated how deeply cultural roots, resistance, and hope are intertwined. “We are not dancing today to show who we are, but to show: we are still here! We are still alive!”

Layla Mirza and Jihan Alomar, both survivors of the 2014 genocide against the Yazidis, spoke powerfully as ambassadors of their community about resilience, cultural identity, and the ongoing need for international solidarity: “Day after day, we are all reminded that ISIS and what was done to us is still a current reality. To this day, I don’t know where my brother is. He was abducted by ISIS. Is he still alive? He would be 25 today. Or my father, who has been missing since we were captured. That makes our work all the more important: With HÁWAR.help, we can show survivors and raise our voices: We are here, and we will not let ISIS destroy us as a community,” explained Jihan Alomar.

Layla Mirza shared her story with the audience: “I was 10 years old when my mother came to me and said: We have to flee now. After 24 hours, my life, our lives, would never be the same again. We had to fight to survive. On August 3, 2014, we were abducted, enslaved, deported, murdered. Yazidi women remain in captivity to this day. I am here today to speak for them.” As a child, she met Düzen Tekkal in a refugee camp in Turkey: “Düzen did not look away in 2014, even though she could have – she was living safely in Germany at the time. She asked me: Does anyone want to speak? I was able to tell what had been done to the Yazidis. Today, we fight hand in hand for women and their rights, for human rights, for a piece of home that I have lost.”

10 Years for Human Rights, Education, and Empowerment

Among the guests were, in addition to survivors and project participants, numerous personalities hailing from politics, business, culture, civil society, and the media, including Annalena Baerbock, Jo Schück, Balbina, Mitri Sirin, Katrin Eigendorf, Minu Barati, Alexander Schwarz, Khesrau Behroz, Friederike Behrends, Esra Vural, Sadaf Zahdedi, and many others.

In her speech, Düzen Tekkal thanked all supporters, donors, and companions of the past years — for their trust, solidarity, and shared commitment to a more just world.

10 Years of Commitment – Reflecting on the past, a promise for the future

In its tenth year, HÁWAR.help reflects on the successes and milestones of its human rights work – while looking ahead to a future where political solidarity, public visibility, and social responsibility are not exceptions but cornerstones of a just world. The anniversary was not only a moment of reflection but a powerful outlook on what is yet to come – driven by courage, community, and humanity.

As an amplifier, we give a voice to those who are often unheard or forgotten – through the power of encounters based on mutual respect and equality. We believe in radical hope and the transformative power of togetherness.

Making an Impact – Support Us Now

Our work for survivors, those affected, and universal human rights is only possible with your support. Help us continue educational projects, awareness campaigns, and protection programs — for a fairer world where dignity, participation, and safety are not privileges, but rights.

Thank you for your trust — and for everything we can still achieve together.

Ten years of HÁWAR.help would not have been possible without the trust, support, and involvement of so many diverse people, companions, organizations, and donors.

We sincerely thank everyone who has walked this path with us — and all those who will continue to accompany, strengthen, and raise our visibility in the future. Your support gives us momentum. And it is a promise: That we will keep going. For all those whose voices so often remain unheard.