PRESS RELEASE / EMERGENCY APPEAL
For Immediate Release
Chamchamal, Kurdistan Region – Iraq — December 9, 2025
The Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights is deeply saddened to announce that unprecedented rainfall-induced severe flooding has devastated the Healing Garden in Chamchamal.
This unique sanctuary—home to trauma therapy programs, environmental education, and animal-assisted rehabilitation—has suffered extensive destruction. The flooding submerged several therapy rooms and facilities, ruined essential equipment and materials, and severely damaged large sections of the garden’s infrastructure. Tragically, the event happened too rapidly, and our team was not able to save all the birds that support our therapeutic activities.
Early assessments indicate significant losses and damage to equipment and machinery. These include our biogas unit, greywater treatment facility, solar water pathways, and irrigation network. Trees, plants, and green learning spaces have been destroyed, interrupting vital nature-based healing programmes for survivors of genocide, war, gender-based violence, and domestic violence.
“We are heartbroken. The Healing Garden has always been a place of safety and recovery for people who have lived through unimaginable trauma. Seeing it destroyed is devastating—but we are determined to rebuild. We ask everyone who believes in healing, peace, and dignity to stand with us in this difficult moment.”
For nearly a decade, the Healing Garden has provided a safe and peaceful environment where women, children, and families in Chamchamal—many of them survivors of the Anfal Genocide (1986–1989) and ongoing conflict—receive trauma-informed care, animal-assisted therapy, and empowerment programs. Today, this place of healing urgently needs its own support.
As we enter the Christmas and New Year season—a time of generosity, hope, and compassion—we call on our global community to stand with us. Your support can help rebuild what was lost and restore a sanctuary relied upon by hundreds of survivors.
We urgently appeal to our community, partners, and supporters worldwide for assistance.
Your contribution will help us:
- Ensure uninterrupted support for hundreds of survivors who depend on our services
- Repair flood-damaged buildings and therapy rooms
- Restore the biogas, solar power, and water treatment systems
- Replace essential therapy equipment and materials
- Rebuild damaged agricultural and ecotherapy areas
- Care for surviving animals
Every donation—large or small—directly supports the recovery of a space that has transformed countless lives.
How to Support
Every donation—large or small—directly supports the recovery of a space that has transformed countless lives.
We welcome urgent discussions with foundations, institutional donors, and partners interested in supporting the restoration and long-term resilience of the Healing Garden.
