Help Survivors of Trauma and Violence in Mosul

Last month along with providing our regular mental health services, our staff and volunteers have been working to train and educate children, human rights defenders, and mental health workers across the region. Here are some highlights:

• The Youth Network teaches first-grade students the importance of education in building stronger communities and provides much-needed material support. Stay tuned for more on this!
• Jiyan Foundation releases a Toolkit on Transitional & Restorative Justice for Iraq, Read Now
• We need you now more than ever. Donate Today to support Jiyan's programs in Kurdistan-Iraq, Iraq and Syria.

Role Models for our Communities in Sinjar

“You are the first and only organization that visited us and supported our students." - Principal of Barzan School in Sardashti, Sinjar Mountains

 
Jiyan Foundation volunteers of the Youth Network for Peace and Dialogue educated first-grade students in "Muhadar in Kolka" primary school and "Barzan School in Sardashti", located in Sinjar Mountains, about the importance of education in building stronger communities.
 
Children growing up in the Sinjar Mountains are often forced to study without proper learning materials. Coming from families who were recently targeted by ISIS terror, youngsters living in the region have been historically denied access to study materials and primary education. In addition to providing each child with school bags, stationery, and study materials, Jiyan Foundation’s volunteers developed a lesson designed to encourage youngsters to commit themselves to education and build peaceful sustainable communities.
 
Jiyan’s volunteers of the Youth Network for Peace and Dialogue are committed to serving their communities, acting as multipliers of peace and role models for the next generation. This project was conceived and developed locally by members of the Youth Network for Peace a Dialogue, embodying Jiyan Foundation’s local approach to humanitarian programming throughout the region.
 
We could not be more proud of Jiyan’s Youth Network leaders and their commitment to their communities. Keep an eye out for more this month from our Youth Network leaders!

Jiyan Foundation Releases a Toolkit on Transitional & Restorative Justice for Iraq

In collaboration with Iraqi civil society organizations and with the financial support of the German Government, Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights and the Coalition for Just Reparations have published a manual aimed at enhancing knowledge in transitional & restorative justice.

“A Toolkit on Transitional & Restorative Justice”, aims at enhancing the Iraqi civil society organizations (CSOs) knowledge in Transitional and Restorative Justice (TJ/RJ) and improving their capacities in planning and implementing relevant activities. The manual combines both theoretical knowledge and practical steps to explore, plan, and implement interventions at the local levels. While the manual draws on academic discourse and experiences from other post-conflict contexts, it was specifically developed in conformity with the Iraqi context and based on accumulated inputs from civil society actors.

“At this point in time, it is crucial for members of Iraqi civil society to think about, discuss, and engage in restorative and transitional justice practices. These engagements may provide an impulse for greater change and set the groundwork for a prosperous future for all Iraqis.” Dr. Bojan Gavrilovic, Head of Program for Rights and Justice at Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights. Click here for the toolkit.

It's that time of year, give what you can to support Jiyan Foundation's programs across Kurdistan-Iraq, Iraq and Syria.

We need you now more than ever. Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights US provides mental health, psychotherapy, medical treatment & other support services to survivors of trauma, terror, domestic violence & human rights violations. Our programs support 9 treatment centers, a clinic for Yazidi women & families, a Healing Garden and mobile teams helping survivors in 11 refugee & IDP camps & 9 regions throughout Kurdistan-Iraq, Iraq & Syria.

• $50 can provide four hours of psychotherapy in an individual or group session
• $150 can provide three months of treatment to a survivor for a chronic disease
• $500 can provide ten months of treatment to a person with a chronic disease

What are you waiting for? Donate Now

Links:

• Donate Today

This week Jiyan Foundation celebrated World Mental Health Day. This year we are doing our part to make mental health a global priority by providing sustainable psychotherapy treatment, raising awareness to fight stigma, and training the next generation of mental health professionals in Iraq and Syria. Since 2005, Jiyan Foundation's programs have touched over 100,000 people. We know all too well that psychological trauma can affect individuals for their entire lives. Jiyan's goal is for every patient to lead a life that is fulfilling and free from the constraints of sustained mental trauma.

We do this by encouraging our patients to set goals and look toward the future through a wide range of psychological treatment programs and approaches. At our Psychosomatic Clinic for Women in Chamchamal, women who survived abduction at the hands of ISIS learn skills they need to overcome their physicalized symptoms.

Through Art Therapy our therapists use artistic expressions to talk to their patients about particularly serious issues such as sexualized violence or the traumatic loss of relatives. By drawing on their own feelings, patients can overcome their speechlessness and take an active role in their recovery.

Jiyan Foundation's mobile teams seek out survivors in the hardest-to-reach places making sure that we can provide mental health support to all people no matter where they are. But we can't do it alone.

Now is your time to make mental health a priority.

Your monthly support will help Jiyan Foundation provide mental health treatment through individual, group, art, and horticultural therapy. Just $10 a month can help us guarantee sustained mental health treatment for survivors of trauma, violence, and terror in Kurdistan-Iraq, Iraq, and Syria.

Don't let today go by without making mental health a priority. Whether right next door, or a world apart we are all closer than we think. This World Mental Health Day, do something for yourself by providing support for someone else.

Monthly gifts allow us to better plan our services and save money in the process. Please consider giving just $10 a month to provide sustainable mental health support to survivors of trauma and violence in Iraq and Syria.

All best,

Joshua Governale

Public Relations & Development

Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights