Activity report for Wadi and it’s partners in 2019
Despite all the ongoing conflicts in the region, 2019 has been a good year for our work. WADI and its local partners have made quite some progress in encouraging public debate about civil rights, peaceful coexistence and environment issues in northern Iraq. The No-to-violence campaign has become very popular in schools and villages, media has covered it extensively and the staff received a lot of positive feedback from people assuring them that this is exactly what is needed now and what they would like to talk about in the community.
New generations want a modern life beyond the constraints and limitations of traditional roles. They want to enjoy personal freedom and individual rights. For them, „No to violence“ is getting it to the core of the matter, since it is reflecting a general notion that there is way too much violence in society, mostly directed against women and children.
WADI has been visiting schools, preschools and villages on a large scale, addressing children, teachers and also parents, organizing discussions and distributing awareness materials. The mobile playgrounds have been part of the campaign to address kids under 10 and their parents. Raising awareness on the dangers of female genital mutilation (FGM) – a topic deeply related to the “Stop the violence” message – is still part of the curriculum.
With their “Citizenship, Participation and Peaceful Coexistence” program and the “Green City Halabja“ campaign to promote the protection of the environment, Halabja Women’s Center is also substantially contributing to the No-to-violence campaign. Their programme is very popular with the local population and refugees and IDPs alike.
Both the struggle against violence and the commitment to environment protection receive strong positive resonance among the public. People see both approaches as deeply connected to each other because they both address aspects on how to establish communities that are based on peace, harmony and mutual understanding.
The total number of direct beneficiaries amounts to 32,013 persons in 2019, mostly women and children. We estimate another 50,000 indirect beneficiaries, which include listeners of the radio, readers and watchers of Kirkuk Now, families in towns and villages for which WADI services were provided, and families who were informed by the anti-violence campaign through the media.
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Wadi 
