Nadia’s Initiative Introduces New Women’s Center in Sinjar, Iraq at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2024 Annual Meeting
New York City, September 24, 2024 – At the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2024 Annual Meeting, Nadia’s Initiative (NI) introduced a transformative, one-stop-shop Women’s Center in the Sinjar region of Iraq. The first of its kind in Sinjar, the Center serves women and girls in the region, including those who survived the genocide carried out against the Yazidi people by ISIS ten years ago.
The concept and design for the Center came directly from survivors on the ground, consistent with NI’s survivor-centric approach to all projects and advocacy.
With seed funding secured, NI now seeks additional, high-level funding (flexible and project-specific) to sustain work at the Center for years to come.
“In regions where women have been disproportionately impacted by conflict and discrimination, our focus must be on empowering them and offering them opportunities to succeed,” says Nadia Murad, the founder and president of NI. “Our Women’s Center will do exactly that – and we need all the help we can get to bring the Center to life. We cannot build a sustainable future on inequity and the continued marginalization of women and girls.”
The Center will provide a safe, community-focused space and comprehensive services, including economic empowerment and livelihood support; education; healthcare; mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS); legal aid; and capacity building in leadership and advocacy. The overarching goal of the Center is to empower women and survivors in the region, fostering an environment where they can not only heal but thrive.
With support from the L’Oreal Fund for Women and the Government of Belgium, and in partnership with Sunrise NGO and Free to Run, pilot programs are underway at the Center. These programs offer women and survivors:
Vocational training in sewing and cosmetology,
Grants to start their own businesses,
Literacy courses to promote educational growth and self-sufficiency, and
Sports-based empowerment activities.
NI aims to reach over 6,000 women in Sinjar through the Center over the first five years of operation and will offer childcare and travel support to ensure as many women as possible can access Center services.
Community spaces like this are vital tools in the creation of safe and secure societies. The Women’s Center seeks to eradicate the vulnerabilities that led to sexual violence and genocide in Sinjar a decade ago, while serving as a transformative venue for the empowerment of women and girls.
Finally, NI wishes to thank the Dutch Postcode Lottery and the Government of Flanders for generously supporting the construction of the Center.
Contact: Brandon Jacobsen, Executive Director, brandon@nadiasinitiative.org
