Gender-based Violence Training: Helping Yourself to Help Others For Bassma and Hemin, working in a difficult environment everyday was taking its toll. The emotional strain and demand to be available at all hours of the day, was having an impact on their mental health and their relationships with their families. Bassma, 36, is a [...]
Growing Her Wings: SEED Girls Builds Confidence to Pursue Dreams Sana*, who had a keen interest in girls’ rights and advocating for girls’ education, always wanted to pursue a career as a pilot when she finished school, but lacked the confidence and family support to make it a reality. Sana is one of [...]
Stringing Together Beads of Hope: Economically Empowering Survivors of Human Trafficking through Paper Bead Making Thanks to Intira Thepsittawiwat, who donated her time and expertise, SEED Foundation supported 11 women, from 3 countries, to learn how to make paper bead necklaces. These women, while residing in SEED’s STEPS Center, were empowered with new skills that [...]
‘I have possibilities now,’ says Mohamad after 16 years of not knowing his birth name or true age “I want to exist on paper to follow my dreams,” Mohamad,* a 16-year-old who was abandoned by his biological parents, told his SEED Foundation lawyer, who has been supporting Mohamad’s legal efforts to obtain his [...]
Access to Client-Centered Services Critical to Supporting Survivors of Trafficking Tara*, 52, came to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) from South Asia in 2018, having been recruited for a well-paid domestic worker position. Upon arrival, her employment agency failed to obtain her residency (iqama), instead moving her to several locations in the KRI and [...]
Legal Services Play Critical Role in SEED’s Support for Trafficking Survivors Navigating the legal system is often a complicated and lengthy process for victims, or survivors, of human trafficking. It is common in Kurdistan for them to face criminal charges instead of being recognized as survivors, leading to further exploitation or abuse. [...]
For families with children who have special needs, it can be challenging for both the family and the children to receive the support and resources they need in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. In the last two years, SEED has worked with two families from the host community who have children that are diagnosed with [...]
SEED supports clients from diverse backgrounds and is dedicated to taking a client-centered approach, ensuring each individual’s needs are met. Maureen, a 38-year-old woman from Tanzania, was placed in a household in Sulaimani, Kurdistan, as a domestic worker. After nearly a year, Maureen was forced to work longer hours than agreed upon, denied freedom of [...]
Nagham*, a 21 year old Yezidi girl, currently lives in an IDP camp after ISIS invaded her home town of Shingal (Sinjar), where she grew up with her family. After the ISIS invasion, life became extremely unsafe and Nagham and her family were forced to flee to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). Although they [...]
Shelter-in-place orders, restricted movements and government closures, necessary measures to slow the spread of the COVID-19 in Kurdistan, have resulted in a financial crisis leaving many migrant workers unemployed, and with compromised legal status as work permits expired. International travel bans meant those undertaking domestic work were unable to return to their home countries, and [...]