Yazda is a US-based, 501 (c) (3) non-profit organizations, established to support the Yazidi ethno-religious minority group in the United States and the Yazidi homeland in northern Iraq and northeastern Syria.

 

Yazda’s mission is to support the Yazidi community in the aftermath of the August 2014 genocide, committed by the so-called “Islamic State”,that resulted in the death of three to five thousand civilians; abduction of five to seven thousand, mostly woman and children; and the displacement of 400,000 people from the Yazidi homelands in Sinjar, the Nineveh plain, and Syria.

 

Organization goals:

1. Protection of the Yazidi people throughout the world and the prevention of future genocides against Yazidis.
2. Supporting the survivors of the Yazidi genocide.
3. Strengthening ties between Yazidi organizations around the world to ensure future protection of the Yazidi people. Yazda will work with other Yazidi organizations to form an umbrella organization for Yazidi communities worldwide.
4. Commitment to finding a safe home country for the Yazidi ethnic group where they are protected by the law to ensure that no future genocide or violence will target Yazidis.
5. Working to locate and free Yazidi abductees who were abducted by terrorists during the ISIL genocide campaign against the Yezidi people.
6. Organizing treatment and therapy for Yazidi genocide survivors, especially for women who were subject to sexual slavery and children who have been subject to severe trauma.
7. Locating lost Yazidis and organizing investigations on behalf of the victims of the Yazidi Genocide.
8. Documenting the Yazidi Genocide and collecting evidence on the extent of human and material loss.
9. Collecting personal stories from Yazidi Genocide Survivors. Yazda is committed to writing and documenting every single story.
10. Building a Yazidi Genocide Museum in the capitals of the free world to educate the world on the Yazidi Genocide.
11. Working with countries and institutions of the free world to protect other ethnic groups in the world and help prevent future genocides.
12. Working on strengthening dialogue amongst world populations.
13. Promote and support educational and cultural exchange programs between Yazidi Genocide Survivors and contribute to their healing.
14. Coordinate with U.S. hospitals and clinics to accept genocide victims for treatment and therapy.
15. Promote research on the history, culture, and contemporary struggles of the Yazidi people.

 

Projects

Supporting Yazidi Women

Yazda’s most important objective is to support Yazidi women and girls who have escaped ISIL enslavement. We accomplish this through a comprehensive, multi-faceted program that provides them with humanitarian, psychological, health, legal, and social support. This program aims to help women recover from their ordeal and support their full integration to normal life.

 

 Yazida Medical Mission

Yazda Medical Mission is a project in partnership with Health Directorate of Dohuk  to provide primary care medical services to Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Northern Iraq. In this program, Yazda provides medication staff, including; physicians, paramedics, pharmacists, nurses and laboratory assistant. Currently our mission covers providing medical services to Esseyan IDP Camp, a camp with population of 18,000, and through Yazda Mobile Medical Unit.

 

Yazda Medical Mission aims to provide medical services (management, laboratory investigations , medicine , consultations and minor surgeries) for IDPs communities in Northern Iraq, currently we operate in Dohuk governorate and Mount. Sinjar. This mission was initiated to bridge the gap with lack of medical services at the Camp and mitigate the impact of communicable disease which poses a great threat to general public health. The health system in Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and Iraq and Syria is generally overwhelmed. Yazda Goal is to take some responsibility in responding to catastrophic imminent health crisis in the region.

 

Humanitarian Aid

Yazda Humanitarian Mission is to provide urgent humanitarian aid to most vulnerable communities, especially woman who managed to escape from enslavement, orphans, and most disadvantaged IDPs.

 

Education and Support for Children

Thousands of Yazidi children were orphaned since August, 2014 ISIL Attack on the Yazidi community. One of Yazda primary goals is to provide direct humanitarian and education support for these children. Such support will include: documentation and identification of those children who need sponsorship or adoption, mobilization of resources to provide direct humanitarian aid, establish educational program to ensure that children continue to receive education they deserve, as well provide trauma and medical support. The educational side of this program has not been initiated because of lack of funds.