Zarok e.V.

Bildung und Zukunft für Kinder im Nordirak

About us

Zarok e.V. is a small, independent NGO (non-governmental organization). It was founded in spring 2015 after several aid campaigns for Yazidi displaced persons. ZAROK means “children” in Kurdish and explicitly indicates that our aid is particularly focused on the needs of displaced children in the autonomous region of Kurdistan / northern Iraq.

The aim of Zarok e.V. is to open up future prospects for refugee children in northern Iraq by providing them with educational opportunities. Zarok e.V. is particularly concerned with traumatized children. We are also concerned with empowering mothers, who are often widowed, and making them independent. We make no distinction according to gender, origin, religion or ethnicity - the only yardstick for us is the level of need.

Purpose of the association:
- Promotion and humanitarian support of families in war regions and from war regions,
- collection, organization and transport of humanitarian goods and funds to the crisis regions, primarily northern Iraq and Syria,
- construction and support of shelters and educational facilities for children in the above-mentioned countries,
- establishment, organization and mediation of sponsorships from Europe to northern Iraq and Syria for the purpose of education and upbringing of children,
- projects for the further development of children and support of existing projects.

Zarok e.V. does not provide cash benefits to individuals, but supports groups of people in need and infrastructural measures that benefit many.
Zarok e.V. works closely with local organizations as they are best placed to assess local needs. Wherever necessary and possible, required goods and services are purchased locally in order to strengthen the local economy.
All members work on a voluntary basis and pay their own flights and accommodation costs in northern Iraq.

Activities and projects:
- Ultimate Frisbee for Yazidi youth from Kalabadre 2024: Zarok e.V. supports voluntary training for Yazidi youth from Kalabadre by covering the low weekly transportation costs from Kalabadre to the stadium in Shariya, where the young people can compete against other teams. The game for boys and girls, without physical contact and without a referee, gets them fit and promotes social skills and personal development.
- Teen project career start in Shariya: Zarok e.V. is implementing a project from November 2023 to March 2024 for a total of 15 displaced young people from camps or emergency shelters in Shariya to successfully start their careers.
- Women and Girls Empowerment Center in the Domiz II refugee camp: The local women's organization THE LOTUS FLOWER runs a small center for women and girls in the Domiz II camp near the village of Fayda. We have been supporting the educational measures since October 20218 such as literacy courses, English tutoring, computer beginner courses
- Since 2020 Outreach family therapy: Due to the measures against the coronavirus, group therapeutic help was not possible in northern Iraq. Zarok e.V. therefore focused on outreach therapy for Yazidi survivors of IS in Sharya / northern Iraq and the surrounding area. Zarok e.V. and the Swiss organization Khaima shared the costs of a three-month therapy programme, which is again run by the tried-and-tested Panaga Organization for education.
- Trauma processing for families: In November 2019, twenty-five children with twenty guardians were again accepted into a new trauma processing program. For three months, certified psychologists and art therapists will work on the trauma, using child-oriented elements of play, drama and art therapy as well as group and individual sessions, and the participants will also be involved in community-building and integrating activities.
- Pop-up schools for displaced Yazidi children in Kalabadre / northern Iraq:
- Bakery in Domiz: Together with Khaima and “The Lotus Flower”, Zarok e.V. has been able to set up and operate a bakery. Four young Kurdish women who fled Syria and have been living in the Domiz 2 refugee camp in northern Iraq for many years have been trained as bakers and can now run the bakery themselves.
- Sewing workshop in Sheikhan: Together with Khaima, Zarok e.V. has been able to set up a sewing workshop. In the Sheikhan refugee camp, ten Jewish widows from the camp are being trained as seamstresses, as well as five Christian and five Muslim women from the host community of Sheikhan.

Sigrid Leder-Zuther is the deputy chairwoman of Zarok e.V..

By arrangement, we can offer other net participants advice, give a presentation, provide up-to-date specialist information and arrange contacts in the field of our work.