#RewindWithOIAA: Throwback With Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights
First established in Iraq in 2005, Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights supports survivors of violence, who have experienced human rights violations in different scales and measures, with physical rehabilitation, mental well-being, and social integration programs. For our golden maknae Jungkook birthday last 2020, One In An ARMY supported the organization through a 5-day flash fundraiser.
Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights established a Healing Garden next to their treatment center in Chamchamal, Iraq which allows traumatized women and children from various religious and ethnic groups to come together, stay in a protected environment, and participate in unique therapies such as art therapy, music, sport, and animal-assisted interventions.
To support their work, 1,132 ARMY from across the world came together and raised over €18,360! The funds cover almost five months of upkeep for the Healing Garden!
As we revisit all the organizations we have worked with in the past 12 months for our third anniversary, we decided to ask them a few questions. Let’s check out what Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights has to say:
Updates On The Programs And New Developments
There have not been any major changes in programs since our project in September, however the Healing Garden has become very active for beneficiaries at our Yazidi Women’s Clinic, located directly in-front of the Healing Garden. Female Yazidi patients make weekly visits to engage in horticultural therapy, animal assisted interventions, and group therapy sessions.
Since our campaign, we have also hosted over 200 refugees / displaced people at the Healing Garden for various activities related to mental-health and intercultural dialogue. While these are all part-in-parcel of our regular programming, the aforementioned aspects have become more common in recent months.
Organization’s Fund Allocation Plan
The funds raised from OIAA have already been spent providing psychotherapy and general upkeep of the Healing Garden. The campaign funded 5 months of psychotherapy for women and children, and kept healthy some of our animals used for animal-assisted interventions. Our goal for the Healing Garden remains the same, but as an organization we are working to expand outreach to the United States. With the launch of Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights US, we are looking to partner with like-minded groups to promote mental-health as a human right and begin exchange programs for students on psychology, psychotherapy, and social sciences between Kurdistan-Iraq and the USA.
The Impact Of Pandemic On The Organization’s Operations
The pandemic caused us to put stricter limits on capacity at our treatment centers and the healing garden. We therefore switched to tele-health when possible and have installed the internet into homes of some clients who could otherwise not afford the technology. This was necessary to maintain our mental health services with patients.
The pandemic also caused us to shift focus for a bit in Syria, providing basic necessities to displaced families in northern Syria. Covid-19 resulted in basic infrastructure to refugee and displaced persons camps to stop, or slowdown that rate of delivery. Food, water, blankets are all basic necessities that we do not normally provide at such a large scale, however everyone at Jiyan Foundation agreed that if we had the means to provide these things, then we had to do it. We have since raised around $25,000 for food, blankets and clothes for displaced families in northern Syria and have kept more than 140 families fed and warm throughout the pandemic.
The Impact Of OIAA Campaign On The Organization
OIAA has had an enormous impact on our organization. The social media attention has brought us some followers, and has led us to become involved with the upcoming NC Koreafest 2021, where we hope to be one of the featured charities. The K-Pop appreciation event, if you are not familiar, will take place online from June 11–13, 2021. We hope to see everyone there (online)!
The campaign #JiyanwithJK funded 5 full months of the healing garden. That support has given us enough breathing room to expand the Healing Garden and engage with more sustainable developments for the garden. We are currently working on making the Healing Garden closer to 100% self-sufficiency by installing solar panels. This installation will not only make the garden more “green” but will reduce monthly electrical costs.
Knowing that so many costs were covered thanks to the BTS ARMY, we have begun production on a new multi-purpose room which will be used for psychotherapy, events, and a children’s classroom.
Do You Know BTS?
Some of our staff had heard about BTS, but this came overwhelmingly as a surprise. Now, I myself, have some BTS in my rotation.
Support Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights For OIAA’s Third Anniversary
- Visit the donation page created for the organization or scan the QR code on Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights’ poster
Donation Page Link: https://jiyan.org/en/donations/
- Donate any amount (a minimum of $1)
- Take a screenshot and submit it on our tracking form (hide any personal information).
- Share the campaign with your friends and family.
Follow the instructions and updates about our Throwback Campaign here.
We are completely aware that not everyone is able to contribute through a monetary donation, but your support, in any form, is significant to our campaign. For example, you can share our SNS posts to help increase the reach and visibility of the org amongst your followers. Find us on social media here: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, Reddit, and Amino.
