Canadian Funding Enables SEED to Better Support IDPs, Refugees, Host Community SEED’s urban and camp based centers allow us to provide our clients safe spaces in which to access SEED’s services such as case management, legal services, and mental health and psychosocial support services. The Government of Canada recently has helped SEED to improve [...]
SEED Opens Its First SEED Center in Erbil SEED Foundation opened the doors to its first center in the capital of the Kurdistan Region, Erbil, on February 15, 2021, which will deliver integrated and comprehensive services to the host, refugee, and internally-displaced person (IDP) communities. Participants at the launch event, which adhered to strict [...]
Helping Healthcare Workers Address Mental Health During COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a variety of challenges, not just to our physical health, but our mental health too. In Kurdistan and Iraq, mental health is a taboo topic – making people hesitant to speak about their problems or seek help from professionals. Healthcare [...]
The Ministry of Health of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and SEED Foundation Collaborate to Address Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in Kurdistan On 2 February 2021, his excellency Dr. Saman Barzanji, Minister of the KRG Ministry of Health and his deputy Dr. Rahel Abdulwahid welcomed Mrs. Sherri Kraham Talabany, the President [...]
Supporting the Recovery and Reintegration of Former Child Soldiers While the Government of Iraq and the UN continue to collaborate through the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM) Country Task Force on the development of an action plan to prevent recruitment and support reintegration of children associated with armed forces and groups [...]
Survivors of ISIS captivity and violence face many barriers to their reintegration and recovery. SEED works to strengthen protections and services and advocates for survivors’ rights. Supporting the Reintegration and Recovery of Female Survivors of ISIS in Kurdistan, Iraq Over 6,000 Yezidi women and children were taken by ISIS in 2014. [...]
One Year Anniversary of the STEPS Center, Shelter for Trafficking Survivors For people who have experienced trafficking, safe shelter is often the first step towards recovery and stabilization. Until last year, there were no shelters specifically for survivors of trafficking in Iraq or Kurdistan. After the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) passed the 'Anti-Human [...]
Ninety two young artists entered SEED Foundation’s first ‘Art of Equality’ competition to mark the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and support the promotion of gender equality and positive portrayal of women and girls in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The 13 national and international judges including diplomats, governmental and non-governmental [...]
Like in the rest of Iraq, gender inequality and gender-based violence (GBV) are pervasive in the Kurdistan Region (KRI). There are efforts by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to face the problem of GBV, including a strong law addressing domestic violence and a law enforcement department called the Department of Combating Violence Against Women and [...]
Reporting on gender-based violence, especially during crises such as #COVID-19, is a difficult and sensitive task. When ethical reporting standards are not followed, it can place the lives of survivors at risk. @UNFPAIraq’s guidelines provide journalists with key steps to follow when communicating these difficult stories. SEED has worked with UNFPA to make these [...]