Nadia's Initiative

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 support, and education for women and children"{{cite web |title=ISIS survivor Nadia Murad turns harrowing personal suffering into humanitarian initiative |url=https://womenintheworld.com/2016/09/15/isis-survivor-nadia-murad-turns-harrowing-personal-suffering-into-humanitarian-initiative/ |website=Women in the World |access-date=10 December 2018}} and "countering global terrorism through public awareness."{{cite web |title=NADIA MURAD, ISIL SURVIVOR, ANNOUNCES MAJOR NEW INITIATIVE FOLLOWING HER APPOINTMENT AS UN GOODWILL AMBASSADOR |url=https://www.peacewomen.org/resource/nadia-murad-isil-survivor-announces-major-new-initiative-following-her-appointment-un |website=Peace Women |access-date=10 December 2018}}

In 2017, as part of the goal to counter terrorism, Nadia Murad pressured the United Nations Security Council to launch an investigation into the actions of ISIS against the Yazidi people.{{cite web |title=What You Need to Know About 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Nadia Murad |url=https://www.sheknows.com/living/articles/1141529/things-to-know-about-nadia-murad/ |website=She Knows |access-date=10 December 2018}}{{cite web |title=How the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winners have worked to end sexual violence as a weapon of war |url=https://qz.com/1414764/nobel-peace-prize-winners-denis-mukwege-and-nadia-murad-win-for-work-against-sexual-violence/ |website=Quartz |access-date=10 December 2018}} 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 in Iraq ... this team is designed to investigate and preserve evidence relating to genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. This is to aid in bringing charges against those responsible for such atrocities."{{cite web |title=Iraq |url=https://ecr2p.leeds.ac.uk/r2p-in-brief/iraq/ |website=European Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (ECR2P) |publisher=University of Leeds}}{{cite web |title=Security Council Requests Creation of Independent Team to Help in Holding ISIL (Da’esh) Accountable for Its Actions in Iraq |url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2017/sc12998.doc.htm |website=United Nations |access-date=10 December 2018}}

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, such as reconstructing facilities, communication networks, education & healthcare infrastructures, and establishing economic opportunities for returnees.{{cite web |last1=Webb |first1=Amber |title=In the Aftermath of Genocide: Report on the Status of Sinjar |url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5771830a5016e1a544ba4318/t/5ac63dda88251b8bef460c7b/1522941415946/Status_of_Sinjar_Report.pdf |access-date=7 December 2018}}

With many active landmines in the Sinjar region,{{cite news|last1=Cousins|first1=Sophie|title=The treacherous battle to free Iraq of landmines|agency=AlJazeera|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/02/treacherous-battle-free-iraq-landmines-150209103531036.html|access-date=12 December 2018}}{{cite web|title=Where We Work: Iraq|url=https://www.maginternational.org/what-we-do/where-we-work/iraq/|website=MAG International|access-date=12 December 2018}} de-mining the area was the first priority for the foundation.{{cite news|title=The lethal legacy of landmines in Iraq|publisher=France 24|agency=Middle East Matters|url=https://www.france24.com/en/20180404-middle-east-matters-iraq-landmines-sinjar-nadias-initiative-syria-assad-rebels-demining|access-date=10 December 2018}}

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."{{cite web|title=De-mining Operations Re-Start in Sinjar|url=http://www.iraq-businessnews.com/2018/07/07/de-mining-operations-re-start-in-sinjar/|website=Iraq Business News|access-date=10 December 2018}}

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).

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.{{Cite news|last=Murad|first=Nadia|date=July 31, 2019 |title=My people were massacred five years ago. The genocide continues.|work=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/my-people-were-massacred-five-years-ago-the-genocide-continues/2019/07/31/b4ee1352-b24f-11e9-8f6c-7828e68cb15f_story.html}}

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.{{Cite web|title=Nadia's Initiative|url=https://www.nadiasinitiative.org/nadias-initiative|website=Nadia's Initiative|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-28}}

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.{{Cite web|title=Our Work|url=https://www.nadiasinitiative.org/our-work|website=Nadia's Initiative|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-28}}

As of 2021, Nadia's Initiative's programs are projected to directly benefit over 150,000 returnees to the region.{{Cite web|title=Our Work|url=https://www.nadiasinitiative.org/our-work|website=Nadia's Initiative|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-28}}

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."{{cite web |title=Nadia’s Initiative and The Big Heart Foundation |url=https://nadiasinitiative.org/news/2018/10/29/nadias-initiative-is-grateful-to-the-big-hearts-foundation-the-bigheartuae-for-supporting-its-work-to-engage-global-leaders-in-peace-building-initiatives-to-rebuild-sinjar |website=Nadia's Initiative |access-date=11 December 2018}} The Big Heart Foundation was formed to support people in need by providing healthcare, education, and emergency aid services.{{cite web |title=What We Do |url=https://tbhf.ae/ |website=The Big Heart Foundation |access-date=11 December 2018}}

Nadia's Initiative stated that it established a partnership with Mines Advisory Group (MAG),{{cite web |title=Global Advocacy |url=https://nadiasinitiative.org/global-advoacy/ |website=Nadia's Initiative |access-date=11 December 2018}} 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."{{cite web |title=What We Do |url=https://www.maginternational.org/what-we-do/ |website=MAG International |access-date=11 December 2018}}

Since 2019, Nadia's Initiative has partnered with a variety of implementing partners on the ground in Sinjar including [https://web.archive.org/web/20000815070243/http://www.usaid.gov/ USAID], [https://iraq.iom.int/ IOM Iraq], [https://www.dorcas.org/ Dorcas Aid International], [https://missioneast.org/en Mission East], [https://www.chainedelespoir.org/en La Chaine De L'espoir], and a variety of local NGOs.{{Cite web|title=Partners|url=https://www.nadiasinitiative.org/partners|website=Nadia's Initiative|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-28}}

The co-recipient of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, Nadia Murad, donated her prize winnings of $500,000 to support Nadia's Initiative.{{cite web |title=A Nobel Peace Prize winner who works to help women is donating her $500,000 winnings to victims of sex crimes |url=https://www.thisisinsider.com/nobel-peace-prize-winner-nadia-murad-is-donating-winnings-to-sex-crime-victims-2018-10 |website=Insider |access-date=11 December 2018}}{{cite web |title=Nadia Murad Is Using 100% of Her Nobel Peace Prize Money to Fight Sex Trafficking |url=https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/nadia-murad-noble-peace-prize/ |website=Global Citizen |access-date=11 December 2018}}

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.{{cite web |title=Filmmaker wins $25,000 Heartland prize for Nadia Murad doc, donates the cash to her cause |url=https://www.indystar.com/story/entertainment/movies/2018/10/23/filmmaker-donates-25-000-heartland-prize-nadia-murads-cause/1730747002/ |website=IndyStar |access-date=11 December 2018}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Official website|https://nadiasinitiative.org/}}

Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United States

Category:Organizations established in 2016