Free Yezidi Foundation / 1
Free Yezidi Foundation
Strategic Plan for
2015
Contents
Background 3
Vision 4
Mission 5
Guiding Principles 5
Championing the Cause 6
Marketing and Communication Plan 6
Objectives and Priorities This Year 8
People Development Plan 9
Operating Budget 10
Success Measures 11
Management 12
Initial Action Plan 13
Background
The Free Yezidi Foundation was established in late 2014 as a result of the terrorist attacks perpetrated upon Yezidi civilians. In August 2014, ISIS terrorists began a genocidal attempt to eradicate the Yezidi people, killing men and kidnapping women to use as sex slaves. The brutality of these actions sparked international outcry and international military intervention, led by the United States of America. Although the war continues, many Yezidi civilians have managed to escape. They are living as refugees and displaced people, mostly in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and are in desperate need of assistance. Thankfully, the Yezidi people have survived this attempted genocide, but have left their homes and all belongings behind.
The Free Yezidi Foundation is designed to assist the most vulnerable members of the Yezidi community. The Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in the Netherlands and operating in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
The Foundation is led by Founder and Executive Director, Ms Pari Ibrahim. Its Supervisory Board includes Yezidi, Kurdish, and international men and women with interest and expertise in this field.
The first and principal projects to be undertaken by the Foundation will be the establishment of a children’s center, to care for children whose parents were killed during the attacks, and a post-trauma center for these children and for women and girls who have been rescued from sexual slavery after being kidnapped by ISIS terrorists.
The Foundation has identified hundreds of children and women in need of care, and this number is sure to increase. The children center will be managed by a senior staff member of the FYF and will be staffed by Yezidi women who are also displaced, have a vested interest in the well being of the Yezidi community, and will benefit from regular employment. The children’s center will be located in a Yezidi-majority village within short driving distance from both Zakho and Duhok, in the Duhok governorate of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. A number of volunteers from the community are prepared to provide in-kind assistance.
The post-trauma center will be located in the same facility as the children’s center. The women and girls will benefit from treatment provided by an international group of post-trauma medical specialists, led by EMDR – HAP Europe, and this group has already completed an initial draft based on a fact-finding mission in January 2015.
Permanent senior staff members include a website and communications manager, an administration manager, and a community relations and coordination manager. In addition, when the centers open in mid-2015, staff members will be hired to help care for the facility and assist with programs for the children and the women, under the supervision of senior staff members and EMDR guidelines.
The Free Yezidi Foundation expects to open the children’s center and post trauma center in mid 2015. The scope and reach of this project will be determined by the availability of funding. The first goal is to purchase a sizeable facility with a portion dedicated to post-trauma care for women, a portion dedicated for the children’s center, and a portion dedicated to housing for visiting post-trauma specialists. The purchase of a vehicle will also be necessary to ensure that we can establish ‘mobile’ post-trauma outreach in the camps located further from the facility.
The facility has already been identified, and will be purchased in the coming months once funding is made available. In 2016, FYF may be able to provide post-trauma assistance to other members of the Yezidi community, such as family members affected by the attempted genocide. Executing the 2015 plan will require careful allocation of resources to ensure a reasonable, scaled project with scope for expansion when feasible. In particular, the logistics of procurement can be challenging in Kurdistan. Thankfully, FYF staff and board members have valuable experience in dealing with private individuals and government officials in Kurdistan, and are prepared to meet these challenges.
Vision
The Free Yezidi Foundation is currently designed to assist the most vulnerable members of the community, but in time it can serve as an umbrella for a variety of activities in favor of the Yezidi people. This would include services for orphans, victims of gender-based violence, widows, and other members of the community, but also efforts to achieve international recognition of the attacks against the Yezidis as genocide, support and promotion for Yezidi culture and arts, broader interaction with members of the international community, and general support for the education of Yezidi boys and girls. It should be noted that for 2015 and 2016, the Foundation will focus on the urgent needs of Yezidi citizens before looking into broader and more long-term activities. Because of the acute crisis at the current time, the Free Yezidi Foundation has embarked upon the children’s and post-trauma centers as initial projects.
It is important to note that many other populations also have suffered because of these terrorist attacks. This includes Iraqi Christians, for example, as well as a variety of populations throughout Iraq and Syria. It is imperative that all minority communities have indigenous, non-profit organizations capable and willing to support their civilian populations, and we hope that the Free Yezidi Foundation model could be replicated elsewhere in Northern Iraq and Syria.
Further, the Free Yezidi Foundation can provide a morale boost to the Yezidi population, as it is helpful to see Yezidi citizens rebuilding the community and caring for one another. In time, as the Yezidis return to their homes and leave refugee camps, the Free Yezidi Foundation can serve as a model for further civil society activity and can support other community-based projects and activities.
Mission
The Free Yezidi Foundation is designed to assist Yezidis in need. The Foundation was established shortly after terrorists attempted to eradicate the Yezidi people in August 2014. The Free Yezidi Foundation seeks to implement projects to protect and support the most vulnerable members of the Yezidi community.
Guiding Principles
Community
The Free Yezidi Foundation is based upon the importance of community members caring for each other in times of need. The Yezidi community is not defined by borders, but by tradition and a shared history.
Responsibility
The Foundation depends upon a common sense of justice and responsibility to protect those most in need, a responsibility shared by all states and all people.
Growth
The ultimate goal of the Free Yezidi Foundation is to promote and protect the healthy growth and development of the Yezidi community; first and foremost, Yezidi children traumatized by recent events and women who have returned to the community after suffering horrific abuse.
Commitment
It is essential that board members, staff, and volunteers are committed to the Foundation’s vision and the success of its projects.
Professionalism
In implementing activities and raising awareness of the plight of Yezidis, the Free Yezidi Foundation will adhere to professional standards and careful allocation of resources to ensure projects are delivered as effectively as possible.
Championing the Cause
Marketing and Communication Plan
What groups do we need to serve most? / What do they need to hear from us? / What is the best way to find and communicate with them? / When will we communicate with them? How often? / How will we know if they have heard our message?Yezidi children & victims of gender-based violence / Direct / individual contact / In refugee camps (already identified) / When they’re in the camps we will contact them when they come on a daily basis to the children center. Women who suffered from gender-based violence: through direct contact with them, families and the community. / UN agencies and the Yezidi community will be aware of the children and post-trauma center, and contact us when there are children and women in need of care.
Yezidi community / It should be known that the Free Yezidi Foundation exists to assist the most vulnerable in the community; community leaders should be aware that the Foundation is supporting these civilians. / Social and traditional media and the website will be sufficient to share with the Yezidi diaspora. In the camps, word of mouth will be essential, as well as information flyers. / Online media will be a constant, including a regular newsletter, as well as regular communication with community leaders. / Social media is a good barometer for diaspora Yezidis; it will be more difficult to assess awareness in camps.
Kurdish community / Kurdish citizens in Kurdistan and abroad should be aware of the children’s and post-trauma centers / Social and traditional media, informal networks within Kurdistan’s business community and government. / Constant communication through online media, regular efforts to share successes and challenges via traditional media, regular. / KRG officials in Duhok have already coordinated with the Foundation; regular coordination will develop.
International community / International community must be informed that FYF is an officially registered charity (in Holland) and is establishing children’s center and post-trauma center with international experts in Duhok. / Social and traditional media, regular visits to USA and European capitals, regular communication and visits with NGOs, UN officials, universities. / Constant online presence, regular communication with diplomats and international NGOs and UN in Kurdistan, visits to USA and European capitals. / Success will be reflected by quality of international visits and relationships with NGOs, UN officials, donors, and diplomats, and also by number and scale of international donations.
International media / The Yezidi people desperately need the assistance of the international community through humanitarian aid. / Contacts have been made in the US and Europe, existing relationships must be maintained and solidified. / Regular communication through interviews, phone calls, social media (especially Twitter) and visits. / Social media retweets and comments and stories in traditional media can measure success in conveying the message to the international media.
Potential donors / Donors must be able to clearly understand the objectives of the Foundation and the needs we wish to meet. They must also believe in the Foundation’s integrity and commitment to deploy resources wisely and without mismanagement or corruption. / A strong online presence and the use of local and international media is essential, as well as trips to the United States and European capitals. Coordination with other NGOs and UN agencies is also helpful. / The Foundation must employ a strategic approach when reaching out to donors, including well-arranged international trips, fundraisers, and a regularly updated flow of information about the Foundation’s activities. / Ensuring feedback from donors is essential, even when grants are not disbursed. Success will not only be the provision of funding but also potential donors’ appreciation for the Foundation’s mission and activities.
Objectives and Priorities for 2015
1. To create by April 2015 a fully functioning website and social / traditional media platform and strategy to ensure regular communication with members of the international, Yezidi, and Kurdish communities, measured by social media response and quality and quantity of traditional media attention. [Communication strategy]
2. To ensure by March 2015 a clear delineation of responsibilities for board and staff members, to identify and hire all senior staff members for the establishment of the children’s center and post-trauma center, and to put in place a guideline for management and regular communication and coordination among the Foundation’s board, staff, and volunteers. [Coordination strategy]
3. To finalize with EMDR HAP - Europe by May 2015 a post-trauma treatment strategy for the short and medium term, as well as proposed plan for long-term care. The plan should include all relevant needs for treatment to ensure the success of the therapeutic aspect of the two centers. [Therapeutic strategy]
4. To establish the Free Yezidi Foundation Children’s Center and Post-Trauma Center by July 2015 and begin regular operations. This requires the purchase of a facility, already identified, and the fulfillment of all necessary logistical and outfitting requirements, as well as organizing all staffing to ensure the success of the therapeutic strategy. [Logistics strategy]
People Development Plan
Area of Development Needed / What will be done / When / Cost of this development(Both in terms of time and money)
Train staff in post-trauma care / EMDR – HAP Europe, in coordination with FYF, will identify and train local staff members / Summer and Fall 2015 / EMDR – HAP Europe will organize the visit of professionals, FYF will pay modest salaries to local staff
Website improvement / More data, images, information to be provided / Already done, updates to continue indefinitely / Conducted by staff and volunteers, modest monthly cost for hosting website
Preparation for management of children center / Board members and senior staff identify Yezidi IDPs capable and ready to assist in the children’s center / Beginning June and July 2015, ongoing / Modest salaries will be disbursed to local staff members; including in the operational budget
Train staff in modern practices for children care / Senior staff, in coordination with EMDR, will ensure local staff are trained to work with children suffering from PTSD / Beginning June and July 2015, ongoing / Led by EMDR – HAP Europe, costs written into project
It is important that senior staff members on the ground and local staff are trained by EMDR to work with children and women suffering from acute post-trauma symptoms. The main and most important human resources development will be to ensure that all senior staff, local staff, and volunteers are well versed in providing assistance to those suffering from PTSD.
Board members with expertise in grant writing, communication, and outreach will be able to ensure that senior staff members are capable of fulfilling such tasks if and when it proves necessary. To ensure that outreach to traditional and social media is optimal, board members will work with senior staff members to work on all aspects of communication, from contact with donors to drafting and dissemination of newsletters.