Nadia’s Initiative is proud to share that Nadia has been named one of BBC’s 100 Women for 2024, a list celebrating inspiring women who have shown extraordinary resilience in the face of global challenges. This year’s list puts a spotlight on women around the world who are driving change in the face of deadly conflicts and humanitarian crises, polarizing societal shifts, and the global climate crisis.
Read More“I felt a sense of belonging and safety at the NI Women’s Center.”
Read the story of Naveen, a survivor and recent graduate of the salon training program implemented at the new Women’s Center in Sinjar.
Read MoreNadia recently met with Norway's Foreign Minister, Espen Barth Eide, to discuss Norway's role, alongside other allies, in supporting the fight to end conflict-related sexual violence, ensuring accountability for perpetrators, and increased support for survivors.
Read MoreOne year ago today, the Yazidi Genocide Memorial was inaugurated in Sinjar, Iraq. The memorial is a monument to those who suffered and died at the hands of ISIS, a place of remembrance and healing, and a tribute to the resilience of those who survived the genocide. Since its opening, the memorial has welcomed dozens of daily visitors, including official delegations, diplomats, government officials, and victims’ families. Thousands of Yazidis have gathered there for ceremonies, burials, and genocide commemorations.
Read MoreNadia recently joined her longtime friend Diane Von Furstenberg (DVF) and a group of influential women leaders, including Oprah Winfrey, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the DVF Awards. As a past honoree of the International DVF Award, Nadia's contributions were recognized, and her story and work were featured at the event.
Read MoreEarlier this month, Nadia’s Initiative celebrated a significant milestone at the Women’s Center in Sinjar, hosting a graduation for the inaugural class of participants from the “Women’s Empowerment Through Education and Vocational Training” project. More than 120 women and girls successfully completed various courses at the Center, which opened earlier this year.
Read MoreNadia Murad and Sheryl Sandberg's TIME Op-Ed: After more than a decade in captivity, Fawzia Amin Sido was rescued from Gaza, returned to Iraq, and reunited with her family on Oct. 2. Fawzia’s freedom is a reminder that thousands of women and children remain in captivity. The international community has failed, time and again, to bring them home and to hold everyone who contributed to these crimes against humanity accountable.
Read MoreHow can we best address the needs of the survivors of genocide? What does community-driven, sustainable rebuilding look like? In an episode of Conversations on Genocide, Elia speaks with Abid Shamdeen, the co-founder of Nadia's Initiative. Mr. Shamdeen shares his story, as well as provide insight into Nadia's Initiative's philosophy and impact in the Sinjar region.
Read MoreNadia Murad, President of Nadia’s Initiative (NI), was honored this week with the “Justice for Defenders of the Rule of Law” award at the 2024 Albie Awards hosted by the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ). The Albies “recognize and celebrate those who have put their lives on the line in their fearless fight for justice around the globe.” Both Nadia and the work of NI were recognized during the event.
Read MoreAt 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.
Read MoreAfter more than eight years of dedicated work and commitment as a Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Nadia Murad is moving on to pursue new challenges.
Read MoreUNITAD's new report once again makes clear that the ISIS attack on Sinjar in August 2014 and the subsequent acts committed against the Yazidi community in Iraq constitute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. However, what remains unclear is how the thousands of Iraqis and foreign nationals involved in carrying out these attacks will be held accountable and how the process for determining their accountability will proceed.
Read MoreNadia Murad was welcomed to Kosovo last week by President Vjosa Osmani. Together they met survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) perpetrated during the war of 1998-1999.
Read MoreOn September 5, 2024, the community of Kocho, in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Iraq, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Iraq, and Nadia’s Initiative, hosted a significant event to both honor the memory of the past and lay the foundation for the future. The event began with the solemn opening ceremony of the Kocho Martyr’s Cemetery, followed by the bricklaying ceremony for New Kocho Village.
Read More“Growing up in Kocho, this was not the future I envisioned for my village. I had imagined a Kocho where I could follow in the footsteps of the village's women, like my mother, to raise a family and grow old alongside my friends and neighbors. The 2014 massacre changed everything. However, with this new village, we must continue to tell the story of Kocho and build a strong, vibrant community.”
Read MoreWith support from Ta’afi and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and in coordination with the Iraqi National Team for Mass Graves Affairs, Nadia’s Initiative (NI) recently launched a project to protect and preserve 15 mass graves across Sinjar and promote advocacy on behalf of families still awaiting the return of their loved ones’ remains. The preservation and timely uncovering of these graves and the identification and return of remains is a critical aspect of justice due to these victims and their families, and will provide a sense of closure denied to them for nearly 10 years.
Read MoreToday, with her roots firmly reestablished in Sinjar, she helps other Yazidis find their own happiness. Slowly but surely, she is restoring her spirit – which may have bent, but never broke.
Read MoreThousands of Yazidi survivors, victims’ families, local community members, government authorities, and representatives from international and local organizations gathered at the mass grave in Kocho village to mark the 10th anniversary of the Kocho Massacre.
Read MoreThe residents of Kocho never imagined that their small village, nestled in a green valley at the foot of Mount Sinjar, would one day gain international recognition and become a significant chapter in contemporary history.
Read MoreToday marks the 10th anniversary of the Kocho Massacre, one of the darkest moments of the Yazidi Genocide. Listen to survivors recount their harrowing stories of a period that has left an indelible mark on the Yazidi community.
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