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Kurdistan Save the Children

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Kurdistan Save the Children (KSC)
Founded1991
FounderHero Ibrahim Ahmed
TypeNon-profit
HeadquartersKurdistan Region, Iraq
Key people
Sara Rashid (president as of 2023)
AffiliationsUNICEF, UNHCR, ILO, Childhood Cancer International
Websitehttp://ksc-kcf.org

Kurdistan Save the Children (KSC) is a non-profit organization founded in 1991 in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Its mission is to support children in Iraq of all backgrounds by addressing their healthcare, social, economic, and educational needs.[1]

History

Kurdistan Save the Children (KSC) was founded on September 16, 1991, by Hero Ibrahim Ahmed in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The organization was created in response to the severe humanitarian crisis following the 1991 Iraq uprisings, which forced 1.5 million Kurds to flee to the mountains, as well as to neighboring Iran, Turkey, and Western countries.[2][3]

The UN Security Council responded with Resolution 688, establishing a no-fly zone over Kurdish territory. During this period, the Kurdish population endured extreme hardships, including hunger and exposure to the cold, which resulted in numerous child deaths.

Hero Ibrahim Ahmed founded KSC to offer support to children in need. Initially, the organization operated with a modest budget of 20,000 Iraqi Dinars, a photocopying machine, and an old house in Qala Chwalan.[4][5]

It focused on distributing second-hand clothing and meeting other immediate needs. Over time, KSC expanded its reach, with Hero's sister, Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed, the current first lady of Iraq, working to register the organization in the UK to increase funding opportunities.[6]

Sara Rashid took up the position as President of KSC in September 2023.

Core activities

Kurdistan Save the Children (KSC) operates through five core programs: Child Protection, Disaster Relief, Education, Health, and Youth Development. The organization conducts its activities across offices in Sulaymaniyah, Erbil, Duhok, and Kirkuk, collaborating with donors and partnering with other organizations.[7][8]

  • Papula (Butterfly) Magazine: In 1992, the organization launched Papula (Butterfly) Magazine, which has become the longest-running Kurdish children's magazine.
  • Fast-Track Program: In 1993, the Fast-Track Program was introduced, opening schools for working children and dropouts, while children's homes for unaccompanied children were set up.[9]
  • Shahid Jabar Exemplary High School: In 2001, KSC established Shahid Jabar Exemplary High School in Sulaymaniyah to offer high-quality, English-language education to gifted children, free of charge. The school is widely recognized as one of the best in the region.
  • Justice for Children: KSC was instrumental in establishing the first juvenile court and juvenile police in the Kurdistan Region and has advocated for amendments to the Iraqi Juvenile Law.[10][11]
  • Child Labor: Launched in 2007, the Child Labor Project has supported over 22,000 children to date. With an influx of refugees and IDPs from 2024, the project was relaunched. It has now established a child protection monitoring committee in close cooperation with the local government which is responsible for identifying cases of child labor across the Kurdistan Region, and strengthening a mechanism to protect these children from exploitation.[12][13][14][15][16]
  • Arbat Refugee Camp
    Child Health: In 2005, KSC expanded its child health services, from opening a dedicated center for autism to providing medical screenings to over 12,000 children between 2005 and 2021. KSC facilitates the way for children to access healthcare otherwise unattainable. The organization supports children with congenital health disease, scoliosis and cleft lip and palate amongst other conditions with life changing surgeries and treatments. The ARA project, launched in 2014, offers social and psychological support to children with cancer, and operates in oncology hospitals in Sulaymaniyah, Erbil, and Duhok.[17][18][19] In 2016, KSC established a premature baby department in Shar Hospital in Sulaymaniyah,[10] followed by a premature baby department at Jamal Ahmad Rashid Children's Hospital in 2021. In 2019, KSC became a member of Childhood Cancer International (CCI) and the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), and was appointed Champion for Cancer in Iraq, participating in workshops in Oman, Kazakhstan and Jordan.[20] Currently, work is underway to establish a Pediatric Heart Hospital.[15][21][22][5][23][24] KSC sponsors several key facilities, including the Shahid Jabbar School, the Sommerlad Center for Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery,[25] Sulaymaniyah Burn and Plastic Surgery Hospital, Children's Heart Hospital in Sulaymaniyah, and neonatal departments in both the children's and maternity hospitals in Sulaymaniyah.[26]
  • Emergency & Refugee Relief: In 2015, in response to the humanitarian crisis and the influx of thousands of displaced people into the Kurdistan Region following the rise of ISIS, KSC launched the Child Friendly Space Project. This initiative, in collaboration with UNICEF, provides psychological support to displaced children in camps.[27][7][28][29][30]
  • Anti-Drugs Campaign: In March 2024, KSC launched the nationwide “Say Yes to Life, No to Drugs”[31] campaign with a marathon in Sulaymaniyah along with several meetings, panel discussions and seminars aimed at reaching as many young people as possible. The initiative was introduced in response to reports highlighting[32] the growing impact of the narcotics trade in Iraq.
  • Children's Activity Centers (Kaziwa): The Children's Activity Centers offer free educational services to children. Experienced trainers lead activities in areas such as arts, sports, languages, library access, computer skills, music, theater, and recreation. Currently, KSC's Education Program manages five Children's Activity Centers across the Kurdistan Region: Sarra (Sulaymaniyah), Arbat, and Chwarta.[33][34]

Partnerships and collaboration

KSC has supported over 1 million children through programs like school rehabilitation, mobile health clinics, and child labor protection. Partnerships with international organizations such as UNICEF, UNHCR, Direct Relief, ILO, TGH and the Global Protection Cluster have helped expand its work. KSC is also a member of the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, and Childhood Cancer International.[10][35][31][24]

Sponsorship

In 1991, KSC launched the Sponsorship Program to support orphans as well as fatherless or otherwise disadvantaged children, enabling them to remain in school and refrain from child marriage. Until now, over 10,000 children have received financial support through this initiative.

KSC's Sponsorship Program has provided financial and social support to nearly 9,600 vulnerable children. Through monthly sponsorships from national and international donors, children receive financial aid that improves their economic environment and ensures access to education and reducing the risk of early marriage.[10]

Awards and recognition

In 2017, Hero Ibrahim Ahmed received the Assisi Pax International Award in recognition of her contributions to children's rights and humanitarian efforts.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Kurdistan Save the Children | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2024-10-08. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  2. ^ "SLEMANI: KSC Marks 33 Years of Commitment to Children's Welfare [EN/AR/KU] - Iraq | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2024-09-17. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  3. ^ "Iraq: Erbil: KSC Completes Renovation of Helena Physiotherapy Center". Morocco News (News Reader). Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  4. ^ a b Goudsouzian, Tanya. "Hero Ibrahim Ahmad: The original female Peshmerga". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  5. ^ a b Parry, Tom; Townsley, Simon (2024-05-13). "Suicide by self-immolation: 'I set fire to my clothes – the flames shot up my body'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  6. ^ Goudsouzian, Tanya (17 April 2024). "Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed: From refugee to the First Lady of Iraq". newarab. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  7. ^ a b "ERBIL: KSC and UNHCR Launch Comprehensive Child Protection Training Initiative [EN/AR/KU] - Iraq | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2024-08-06. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  8. ^ Interagency SOPs for child protection case management in the Kurdistan region of Iraq
  9. ^ "Kurdistan Save the Children". www.idealist.org. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  10. ^ a b c d "Kurdistan Save The Children Protects and Empowers Children". Iraq International News Agency. 2024-05-27. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  11. ^ Child Protection Issues and Responses Syrian Refugee Community in Domiz Camp & Dohuk. July 2013
  12. ^ "Children's Day in Kurdistan Region– Alert to Child Labour". پەرەگراف. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  13. ^ "ILO and partners hold training on Child Labour Monitoring System in Iraq | International Labour Organization". www.ilo.org. 2022-02-28. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  14. ^ "Role of NGO in Child labour Elimination in Erbil City" (PDF).
  15. ^ a b "ERROR". www.rudaw.net. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  16. ^ "KSC Leads Dialogue on Child Labor at First Academic Conference on Child Protection [EN/AR/KU] - Iraq". reliefweb.int. 2024-10-08. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  17. ^ "Psychological Support under ARA Project". ksc-kcf.org. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  18. ^ "Iraqi Kurdish cancer patients in limbo as budget cuts bite". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  19. ^ "Saving the Children in Kurdistan and Iraq". The Kurdistan Tribune. 2014-12-05. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  20. ^ "Kurdistan save the children - our Journey as a UICC Member". UICC. 26 June 2019.
  21. ^ "Slemani, Iraq: KSC Provides Life-Saving Cardiac Care to Children in Kurdistan Region: 36 children undergo vital catheterizations as KSC partners with leading hospitals to address congenital heart disease - Iraq | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2024-08-15. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  22. ^ "Centre in Sulaimania leading the way in cleft care". Cleft. 2022-12-05. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  23. ^ "Erbil: KSC helps nearly 400 refugee children access physiotherapy in 2023 [ENAR/KU] - Iraq | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2024-09-12. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  24. ^ a b Grodzovsky, Kelsey (2019-01-24). "Donated Cancer Medication Bolsters Hospital in Iraqi Kurdistan". Direct Relief. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  25. ^ Sommerlad, Brian C.; Li, Sheng (2013), Shi, Bing; Sommerlad, Brian C. (eds.), "Sommerlad's Technique of Cleft Palate Repair", Cleft Lip and Palate Primary Repair, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 265–276, doi:10.1007/978-3-642-38382-3_14, ISBN 978-3-642-38382-3, retrieved 2024-10-29
  26. ^ "KSC". ksc-kcf.org. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  27. ^ "3RP Iraq Country Chapter 2023-2024 - Iraq | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2023-06-08. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  28. ^ "Sheltering Hope and Protection: Designing Inclusive Child-Friendly Spaces (CFSs) for Refugee Children's Well-being in an Emergency Context". www.securityincontext.org. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  29. ^ "Erbil: KSC helps nearly 400 refugee children access physiotherapy in 2023 [ENAR/KU] - Iraq | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2024-09-12. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  30. ^ "The UNHCR Registration Center Erbil (PARC) Located in Italian Village 1 has moved to Baherka on 10 April 2023". UNHCR Iraq. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  31. ^ a b "TGH teams invest in capacity building for local players in Iraq - TRIANGLE GENERATION HUMANITAIRE". www.trianglegh.org. 2024-07-12. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  32. ^ "Drug Trafficking Dynamics Across Iraq and the Middle East: Trends and Responses" (PDF).
  33. ^ Rafie, Diyar (2022-10-16). "KUST signs MOU with Kurdistan Save the Children". Komar University of Science and Technology. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  34. ^ "How a Partnership is Paving the Way to STEM Education in Kurdistan". World Learning. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  35. ^ "Erbil: 110 refugee children receive eye exams in Qushtapa Camp - an awareness campaign over the harmful effects of screen time was also conducted in a joint effort between KSC, UNHCR, and Erbil Health Directorate - Iraq | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2024-05-30. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
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