OUR BACK TO LIFE PROJECTS IN IRAQ HAVE COME TO AN END – FOR NOW!

Our BACK TO LIFE projects in Sharya and Qadiya IDP camps in the Kurdistan Region in Iraq have come to an end! The BACK TO LIFE project means so much to us, as it is here, where the HÁWAR.help journey began after Düzen Tekkal traveled to Iraq to document the genocide against her community, the Yazidis. After returning to Germany, she wanted to continue supporting her community and those affected by the genocide, and founded HÁWAR.help.

The very first BACK TO LIFE Women’s Empowerment Center opened in 2018 in Qadiya camp. In 2022, we opened a second center in Sharya camp. Throughout the years, we supported many girls, women and families of all faiths who survived the Yazidi genocide to build a self-determined and independent livelihood and find their way back to life. We offered handicraft, language and computer courses, workshops on topics such as gender-based violence, and psychological and trauma therapy treatment. A multireligious and multiethnic project, open to all women and children living in the camps.

During the project’s last implementation from April 2023 until the end of September 2024, 963 women and girls had access to courses that strengthened their well-being and self-efficacy by learning new skills. 92 women and girls participated in 6 workshops on gender-based violence, empowerment and health. 36 women and girls had access to weekly psychotherapeutic treatment including individual and group therapy.

Thank you so much to everyone who has been a part of this project, especially our project partners Auswärtiges Amt and the German Consulate in Erbil. And, of course, a huge thank you to our HÁWAR.help team in Iraq, who have been so committed to the project, and to our project participants! Thank you for putting your trust in our work.

Due to the announced camp closures, the BACK TO LIFE project in Qadiya and Sharya Camp came to an end at the end of September 2024. We will continue to serve the community of internally displaced people and are currently adapting it to the changing needs of local women. The project will then move to Dohuk, where we will continue to offer courses and workshops, focusing on psychosocial support for women, legal advice as well as new creative and gardening courses to promote employment.