Nadia’s Initiative is a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

organization founded in 2018 by

Nadia Murad Nadia Murad Basee Taha (; ; born 10 March 1993) is an Iraqi-born Yazidi human rights activist based in Germany. In 2014, during the Yazidi genocide by the Islamic State, she was abducted from her hometown of Kocho in Iraq. Much of her communi ...

that advocates for survivors of

sexual violence Sexual violence is any harmful or unwanted Human sexual activity, sexual act, an attempt to obtain a sexual act through violence or coercion, or an act directed against a person's sexuality without their consent, by any individual regardless of ...

and aims to rebuild communities in crisis. The launch of this organization was prompted by the

Sinjar massacre The Sinjar massacre () marked the beginning of the genocide of Yazidis by ISIL, the killing and abduction of thousands of Yazidis, Yazidi men, women and children. It took place in August 2014 in Sinjar city and Sinjar District in Iraq's Nineveh ...

, a

religious persecution Religious persecution is the systematic oppression of an individual or a group of individuals as a response to their religion, religious beliefs or affiliations or their irreligion, lack thereof. The tendency of societies or groups within socie ...

of the

Yazidi Yazidis, also spelled Yezidis (; ), are a Kurdish-speaking endogamous religious group indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. The majority of Yazidis remaining in ...

people in

Sinjar Sinjar (; , ) is a town in the Sinjar District of the Nineveh Governorate in northern Iraq. It is located about five kilometers south of the Sinjar Mountains. Its population in 2013 was estimated at 88,023, and is predominantly Yazidi. History ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

ISIS Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

in 2014.

History

Murad, a survivor of the Sinjar massacre who escaped ISIS capture, created Nadia’s Initiative in January 2018 to "provide long term, holistic approaches to healing traumatized victims of mass atrocities, by developing and supporting field programs in the areas of healthcare,

psychosocial The psychosocial approach looks at individuals in the context of the combined influence that psychological factors and the surrounding social environment have on their physical and mental wellness and their ability to function. This approach is ...

support, and education for women and children" and "countering global terrorism through public awareness." In 2017, as part of the goal to counter terrorism, Nadia Murad pressured the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

to launch an investigation into the actions of ISIS against the Yazidi people. The result, UN Resolution 2379, was passed on 21 September 2017 and "authorized the creation of an independent team to investigate crimes committed by

ISIL The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signif ...

in Iraq ... this team is designed to investigate and preserve evidence relating to

genocide Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...

war crimes A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hos ...

, and

crimes against humanity Crimes against humanity are certain serious crimes committed as part of a large-scale attack against civilians. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity can be committed during both peace and war and against a state's own nationals as well as ...

. This is to aid in bringing charges against those responsible for such atrocities." In January 2018, Nadia’s Initiative undertook an assessment of Sinjar to better understand the obstacles delaying redevelopment efforts and document the current state of the region. The report identifies projects for

redevelopment Redevelopment is any new construction on a site that has pre-existing uses. It represents a process of land development uses to revitalize the physical, economic and social fabric of urban space. Description Variations on redevelopment include ...

, such as reconstructing facilities, communication networks, education & healthcare infrastructures, and establishing economic opportunities for returnees. With many active landmines in the Sinjar region,

de-mining Demining or mine clearance is the process of removing land mines from an area. In military operations, the object is to rapidly clear a path through a minefield, and this is often done with devices such as mine plows and blast waves. By cont ...

the area was the first priority for the foundation. In July 2018, Nadia's Initiative announced that after several months of work, de-mining operations in Sinuni, a sub-district in the Yazidi homeland of Sinjar, had been restarted. The Initiative stated, "This important effort ... will help to ensure the survival of the Yazidi community." With most de-mining efforts already successfully completed, Nadia's Initiative has now shifted focus to large scale sustainable development initiatives to provide much needed services to returnees in the Sinjar region. These initiatives focus on health, education, livelihoods, women's empowerment, and WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene).

Ongoing work

The first priority of the Initiative is rebuilding the Yazidi ancestral homeland of Sinjar to restore services and infrastructure to those who have returned to the region and incentivize the return of those still displaced. Nadia’s Initiative works with the local Yazidi community and a variety of implementing partners on the ground in Sinjar to design and support projects that promote the restoration of education, healthcare, livelihoods, WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), culture, and women’s empowerment in the region. All Nadia’s Initiative programs are community-driven and survivor-centric, and work to promote long term peace-building. Nadia’s Initiative advocates governments and international organizations to support efforts to rebuild Sinjar, seek justice for Yazidis, improve security in the region, and support survivors of sexual violence worldwide. Nadia’s Initiative is uniquely positioned to facilitate the re-development of Sinjar due to its extensive knowledge and understanding of the political, cultural, and economic complexities of the region. Nadia’s Initiative brings a comprehensive peace-building approach to the process of rebuilding and recognizes that reconstruction efforts must be developed locally - local solutions to local problems. This type of approach will empower survivors and re-establish a sense of community in the region. Nadia’s Initiative strongly believes in making survivors, particularly women and children, an active voice in the peace-building process. As of 2021, Nadia's Initiative's programs are projected to directly benefit over 150,000 returnees to the region.

Connections with other organizations

In October 2018, Nadia's Initiative announced that it was "grateful to The Big Heart Foundation for supporting its work to engage global leaders in peace building initiatives to rebuild Sinjar." The Big Heart Foundation was formed to support people in need by providing healthcare, education, and emergency aid services. Nadia's Initiative stated that it established a partnership with

Mines Advisory Group The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) is a non-governmental organization that assists people affected by landmines, unexploded ordnance, and small arms and light weapons. MAG takes a humanitarian approach to landmine action. They focus on the impact o ...

(MAG), an organization that seeks to "find and destroy landmines, cluster munitions and unexploded bombs in places affected by conflict in order to assist in de-mining Sinjar." Since 2019, Nadia's Initiative has partnered with a variety of implementing partners on the ground in Sinjar includin
USAIDIOM IraqDorcas Aid InternationalMission EastLa Chaine De L'espoir
and a variety of local NGOs.

Funding

The co-recipient of the 2018

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...

, Nadia Murad, donated her prize winnings of $500,000 to support Nadia's Initiative. Director of "On Her Shoulders" — a film based on Murad's work as an activist, Alexandria Bombach, announced that the $25,000 prize she received from the Heartland Film Festival will be donated to Nadia's Initiative.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://nadiasinitiative.org/ Non-profit organizations based in the United States Organizations established in 2016