We are happy to announce that our therapeutic Healing Garden for survivors of trauma and violence has won two awards in 2020:
The iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE aims to publish and support projects that contribute to our society.
More about the iF Social Impact Prize!
“The Healing Garden impresses with its simplicity and effectiveness. The cultivation of the garden by locals, who earn their living with it, and at the same time the use of traditional loam construction and sewage techniques impressively confirm the sustainable approach of this wonderful project!.”
– Jury Statement
In 2015, we built a Healing Garden in the city of Chamchamal in Iraq to provide a garden and animal-assisted therapy for traumatized persons. The garden has enabled us to revitalize traditional building designs and techniques, introducing green technology solutions such as wastewater treatment, biogas, and solar energy generation, and to educate people about environmental stewardship. The decentralized wastewater treatment plant has a capacity of processing 100 m3 of greywater per day and the biogas plant recycles animal waste into gas and fertilizer.
More about the National Energy Globe Award!
A new project of the Jiyan Foundation is the construction of a therapeutic garden for women and children in the city of Chamchamal. The healing garden is a place of rest and security for women, children and their families who have experienced violence and persecution.
The city of Chamchamal is located in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq. The population suffered here especially under the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein. During the so-called Anfal Operations of the 1980s, people were violently expelled and lost their livelihoods. Children and adolescents in particular suffer from the long-term consequences of these attacks. Many parents are still emotionally and physically impaired by their experiences of violence. Some cannot work, others take out their anger and despair on their children. Neglect and domestic violence are common in many families. Since 2010, the Jiyan Foundation has been the only point of contact for traumatized women and children in the region. Our psychological team treats more than 500 people every year.
Our healing garden is located right next to the treatment center in Chamchamal. It unites a range of natural therapies unique in Iraq. Here, severely traumatized women and children have an opportunity to:
In the healing garden there are play areas for children and adolescents. Here they can let off steam and playfully release their creative powers. On sandy surfaces, they can build or destroy things and express themselves. The women and children in the healing garden are accompanied by our specially trained therapeutic team.
When designing the garden we take into account the conservation of natural resources. The therapy rooms in the healing garden are built with clay. This traditional construction adapts perfectly to the local climate – it cools in the summer and warms in the winter therefore relieving us from the need of energy-intensive air conditioning systems. Thanks to a treatment plant, we can purify 100 cubic meters of wastewater daily – enough to irrigate the plants even in the summer heat. From garden waste, biogas is produced. Incidentally, this creates a natural fertilizer for the plants and trees of the garden. In addition, we plan to build a solar energy system that will power the healing garden.
Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights US is a 501(c)(3) organization. Gifts are deductible to the full extent allowable under IRS regulations.
Jiyan Foundation supports survivors of human rights violations, promotes democratic values and protects fundamental freedoms with programs in Iraq, Kurdistan-Iraq and Northern Syria.
