It started with a small library and a group of active young villagers. After almost twenty years this has sparked a movement that shaped the entire community.
By Shatoo Kameran, 18.05.2025
(Picture: Sewing class in Goptapa)
There was a time, twenty years ago, when Goptepe was merely a small village, one of the many in Kurdistan that had been totally destroyed by Saddam Husseins army, bombarded with chemical weapons and then resettled after 1991. With old schools, no kindergarten, no hospitals and no youth activities in sight. It was silent. Today, that silence has been broken—not by noise, but by voices.
Voices of children in new classrooms, women behind sewing machines, and young people finding their place in the world.
This transformation didn’t happen overnight, nor did it come easily. It began with an act of care in 2006, when young Anfal survivors, among them Hemn Goptapy helped build the very first library with his fellow activists and the support of Wadi. Each of them brought as much as books they can carry from their own homes. And then others followed their path. Just like that, a sanctuary was established.
That library opened doors to awareness sessions, seminars, trainings, exhibitions. It was like an incubator.
Later on, Hemn, who helped build the library, thought that Goptapa needed to step in to the next stage, and stretch their activities from local to regional.
Then came sport programs, with the support of Wadi and the local community, they formed the very first football team of Goptapa, this offered youth a new outlet for expressing their energy and ambition. The football team took the second stage in Chamchamal’s football league later this year.
With all the new activities and movements arising, there was a need for a media outlet, covering and archiving everything happening in Goptapa.
Through training sessions led by KirkukNow and Wadi, Goptapa Media Channel was born, but it was more than just a media platform, it was a tool for transformation. “Media platforms in Goptapa became a thing after us,” they say proudly.
„One of our early volunteers, Aziz, started with Goptapa Media and now works with a major media channel in Sulaymaniyah“, explains Hemn.
(Video: A report of Goptapa Medai Team)
Goptapa media platform became popular very fast, before they knew it, they were the major source of news in Goptapa.
This chain reaction is visible in every direction. Women who once stayed hidden are now stepping into their own stories. Out of 21 participants in the women’s development program which was a free sewing training course supported by the German World Women Prayer Day (WWPD) and WADI, implemented by “Galla Organization” which is the newest addition to the many improvements in Goptapa.
Nearly half are now self-employed. Hawar Hamid, one of those women, rose to local fame and confidence through these activities. Another, Shanaz, became a professional tailor after participating in the sewing training. These are not just names—they are symbols of resilience.
Alongside the sociological development these trainings offer, it also promotes environmental protection. With every participant that goes through that course, a tree will be planted.
Galla Organization was founded through the same fearless activists who started the first library in Goptapa. This local organization acts as an umbrella for the library, sports team, media outlet, environment and capacity building program in Goptapa.
Galla have already started to expand only after two months of its foundation. Projects like the First Aid teams, environmental campaigns, and the recently opened kindergarten are proof that with enough passion, grassroots efforts can reshape entire communities. “Compared to 2006, Goptapa had nothing,” the activist reflects. “Now it’s close to becoming a subdistrict.”
But progress didn’t come without resistance. “People didn’t trust us at first,” they admit. “There was skepticism and doubt. But we kept showing up. Eventually, we proved who we were and what we could do. Now they depend on us.” So Goptapa also became an example how a village can implement the idea of „Active Citizenship“ and as such it co-operates with the wider campaign in Kurdistan.
Some of the most meaningful support has come from unexpected places—like Ra Group, which gave birth to important ideas and projects, or from individuals like Dr. Bashadr and Taha Rasul, who lent their help when it was most needed.
Now Goptapa faces another challenge, literacy. in some villages surrounding Goptapa Young individuals have nothing to grab on. This created room for radical “Teachers” as they call themselves, to take advantage of this gap and spread radicalism. Just last week, they were planning to bomb Goptapa’s famous statue “Hawar” statue.
„Absence of education makes room for radicalism“, they warn. The goal is not just education—it’s protection, prevention, and empowerment.
The dream is bigger than just services. They envision Goptapa becoming a full subdistrict. With Goptapa’s river that could become a tourist destination, a hospital, and a thriving cultural identity, the village now stands at the edge of a new chapter.
To those who want to follow in these footsteps, their advice is simple but powerful: “Start with a group. Find your people. The work begins there.”
Wadi 
