Yazda

Code: USG20 + USG21- This a project to continue with the existing work on documentation and advocacy, a new project was recently approved by USAID. The project has three main goals. * Contribute to the preservation of the Yazidi culture by recording testimonies containing a comprehensive overview of the Yazidi historical and cultural heritage and publishing academic articles in a dedicated review. * Gather evidence that further facilitates legal accountability by interviewing survivors and witnesses and locating mass graves and killing sites. This includes informing survivors about the legal remedies available to them under Iraqi and Kurdish law and putting them in touch with local lawyers. * Advocate for the Yazidi community by using the collected data (e.g., campaign for transitional justice and post-conflict reconstruction strategies; campaign to diffuse the Yazidi culture, especially to the diaspora). The documentation team has two offices, one in Duhok and one in Sinjar. These teams are situated to best reach the Yazidi community based in the displacement camps and a second office in Sinune for the returnees. The project started in December 2018 and continued throughout 2023.

(Code: IOMSA21 & IOM23) RReturn of Displaced in Nineveh - Yazda joined forces with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to support the return and reintegration of displaced people in Nineveh Plains and West Nineveh. This USAID-funded project utilizes a multi-pronged approach for a sustainable return, encompassing: * Livelihood and Economic Independence: Helping returnees establish themselves financially. * Access to Services: Ensuring returnees have the resources they need. * Social Cohesion: Fostering a sense of community among returnees. * Psychosocial Support (PSS): Providing mental health services to those who have experienced trauma. * Diaspora Engagement: Connecting returnees with Yazidi communities abroad. * Administrative Support: Assisting returnees with navigating bureaucracy. To oversee these activities, Yazda opens a new office in Sinune, focusing on large collective villages north of Sinjar and Sinjar City itself. Mental Health Services: Two Psychosocial Support Therapists are hired in Sinune to begin case management and provide support sessions in 2021. Livelihood Support: Thirteen locations are chosen for livelihood support, including nine villages on the north side (Khanasor, Sinune, Dugre, Duhola, Borek, Gubhal, Zorava, Hardan) and three on the south side (Sinjar City, Sulagh, Wardiya, Bashiqa, Bahzani). Yazda aims to establish 90 small businesses within two years and offer vocational training to select communities. Education Support: Recognizing the importance of education, Yazda assesses vulnerable schools and allocates monthly stipends for teachers and school supplies to eight schools since December 2018. Community Engagement: Yazda collaborates with six youth groups whose goals align with the project's objectives. These groups receive funding for training and capacity building in exchange for support with information gathering, community outreach, and promoting safe return through advocacy and social media. Yazidi Survivor Network A separate initiative, the Yazidi Survivor Network (YSN), funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, empowers survivors of the ISIS Genocide. YSN provides a platform for survivors to share their experiences, advocate for justice and human rights, and fight for essential programs and services.

(Code: SVM22 + SVM23) -Yazda began offering essential health services in Sinjar in early 2015. Due to the widespread devastation of infrastructure, a Mobile Medical Unit was established for operations. Since April 2018, the project has been funded by the Dutch donor SV. This Sinjar-based mobile medical unit provides basic healthcare to 14 villages on the mountain's north side. The team sees patients for a variety of primary health concerns, including chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension. They offer roughly 1,300-2,000 consultations monthly to a community of 7,000-10,000 people, operating five days a week in the villages of Adeeka, Tairaf, Aldeenah, Kharbah, Qane, Bayeev, Naqsay, Bakrah, Kormale, Zerwa, Bakhilif, Shorka, Gurmiz, and Karse. The majority of these villages are remote, and many households lack cars or any means of transportation. he project received additional funding in August 2023. Project Details (SVM22): Delivers the complete range of primary healthcare services, integrating non-communicable and mental healthcare. Aims to identify and manage the most prevalent NCD and MH conditions as close to patients as possible, even in hard-to-reach and insecure environments with limited skilled resources and supplies. Builds long-term sustainability and replicability of the model by providing initial training and ongoing clinical supervision for staff. Maximizes task-shifting and task-sharing among technical staff. Project Details (SVM23): Continues delivering the full spectrum of primary healthcare activities it has provided since 2020: general consultations, SRH consultations (including ANC, FP, and awareness sessions on mother and child health topics). Emphasizes that these core activities are essential for guaranteeing access to primary healthcare. Integrates NCD-MH components seamlessly within primary healthcare services, not as a separate program. Project Goal: Reduce illness and death rates in the target population by providing and increasing access to primary healthcare, Non-Communicable Disease care, and Mental Health support.

(Code: ANC21) - Project Description: Preserving Cultural Heritage of Minority Communities in Iraq Project Goal The overarching goal of this two-year project is to preserve the cultural heritage of religious and ethno-religious minority groups in Iraq. To meet this goal, the project has two strategic objectives: 1. Strategic Objective 1: Partner with the Catholic Diocese of Mosul's Centre Numérique des Manuscrits Orientaux (CNMO) and support the Syriac Museum in Erbil to preserve, document, digitize, and make accessible historic collections that tell the story of northern Iraq's vibrant Christian community. 2. Strategic Objective 2: Partner with Yazda to build Yazidi's capacity to preserve, document, digitize, and make accessible the intangible heritage of their community and promote the survival of the living Yazidi culture in its many forms. The completion of these strategic objectives will facilitate communal healing, inter-communal understanding, and appreciation of the diversity of Iraq, a fundamental step toward the promotion and actualization of democracy.

(Code: LUX23) - MHPSS, Case Management, and Advocacy Service for Survivors of ISIS Atrocities from the fund of LUX government. Yazda obtained funding from the Luxembourg government to deliver a comprehensive program assisting survivors of genocide and human rights abuses in Iraq. The program offers: * Direct Support: Case management, mental health care, legal aid, and financial assistance for survivors and victims of gender-based violence. * Capacity Building: Training for Yazidi Survivors Network members to advocate for their community. * Strategic Advocacy: Lobbying for the Yazidi Survivors Law, women's rights, genocide recognition, and justice. * Raising Awareness: Educating local and international audiences about human rights violations against Yazidis and other Iraqi communities. Yazda's Approach: * Survivor-Centered: Empowering survivors to advocate for themselves and their communities. * Wrap-around Services: Addressing survivors' diverse needs through collaboration with various sectors. * Community-Driven: Recognizing the importance of survivor and community input in rebuilding efforts. Yazda's Track Record: * Successfully advocated for the recognition of the ISIS genocide against Yazidis. * Empowered survivors to share their experiences and secure political action. Project Goal: Provide essential services, promote well-being, and secure human rights for survivors and their communities.

(Code: SVCS22) - TOR Organizational Capacity Strengthening. Funding received to further strengthen and improve the following priority areas in 2023-2025 for Yazda: 1. Improve and maintain the implemented financial management system. 2. Enhance Yazda's MEAL System (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability). 3. Maintain the implemented communication and information management system.

(Code: JIY22) - Funding received for the Community and Mental Health program for children. Fund was received at the end of the year and will be use to support the project objectives in the next calendar year.