MESSAGE FROM OUR FOUNDER

O ver the past 2 decades the incredible people of Iraq/IKR and the Middle East have suffered unspeakably through cycles of armed-conflict, economic recessions, political turmoil, and social unrests from those demanding change and opportunities for a decent life. Through armed conflicts and occupations of Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and global health crisis as COVID-19, we have seen some of the worst humanitarian crises in modern times, mass displacements, demographic and geographic change, and the breakdown of the social fabrics that have long been the uniting force for many communities.

Although the major military operations against ISIS have finished 5 years ago, we still have tremendous work to do in addressing the root causes that drives persistent social dividers, evolves extremist ideologies, while repairing broken communities, and healing those that have experienced so much suffering including women and girl survivors of Sexual and Gender Based Violence’s (SGBV).

Ideology of extremist groups and those that seek to divide communities and that prey on the most vulnerable must also be addressed, we must tackle subjugating patriarchal structures, economically empower every family, re-educate our youth, empower our communities, combat violence against women, advance women’s participation and leadership at all levels, and provide protection for those most in need in our society.

We must remain united to raise the voice of all women, men, youth, and children from all ethnic, religious, and marginalized communities to continue progressing social cohesion and peaceful coexistence and security from violence for a united future for all.

–Ms. Jihan Mustafa Ibrahim

Founder and President

ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY AT EVERY LEVEL

Accountability To Affected Populations
UN, Sphere, ICRC, IASC, Do No Harm Humanitarian Standards
Local Ownership and Stakeholder Engagement
Needs and Evidence Based Approaches
Cross Cutting and Gender Dynamics
International Policies and Procedure Standards

History

Founded in 2003, as a grassroots Women’s Union in Mosul, Iraq, since, WRO has grown into one of the largest, well experienced and strong women’s rights civil society organizations, which as a non-profit, non-government, independent organization has been working through its mandate to promote women’s equal participation and leadership in ensuring human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, eradicating poverty and violence against women, catalyzing gender equality, protecting child rights, improving access to health and education, bolstering economic empowerment, addressing climate change, driving peaceful coexistence, stabilization, recovery, reconciliation and equal and fair pathways to justice, tolerance, diversity, and inclusion, engaging youth, and strengthening sustainability of civil society, and shaping norms for localization development.

Experience

In partnership with local, regional, and global civil society, international organizations, and governmental bodies, WRO has been able to successfully contribute towards meeting individual and community needs through multi-sectorial holistic programming that fosters gender and protection mainstreaming. For 2 decades WRO has successfully delivered over 150 humanitarian and development initiatives focused on local, regional, and global advocacy, stabilization and reconciliation, peace building, general protection, child protection, SGBV prevention and response, psychological MHPSS and physical health and well-being, non-formal education, individual and community capacity building, wash, legal, advocacy, livelihoods, political and economic participation, voter and democratic awareness, reconstruction, and civil society and governmental capacity building and engagement initiatives. Furthermore, WRO is devoted to international commitments including contribution to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security, and UNSCR 2250 on Youth, Peace, and Security.

As a national and regional expert in holistic individual, family and community economic, education, protection, social, and equal participation empowerment, WROs efforts have shed light locally and internationally through advocacy on many important issues such as mainstreaming gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response across all sectors, sexual violence in conflict (SVC), and other issued related to marginalized groups rights in Iraq and the Middle East through initiatives that directly impact tens of thousands of families each year including though provision of lifesaving support and developmental dignified solutions and services that drive individual and collective healing, integration, inclusion, self-resiliency, self-efficacy, self-determination, and peaceful coexistence with dignity and care.

Capacity

WRO has over a 20 year history of collaborative work at the national, regional and international level partnering with UN agencies, international organizations and governmental bodies such as IOM, UNICEF, UNDEF, UNIDO, UNOPS, UNFPA, UNHCR, UN Women, USPRM, USAID, DANIDA, Global Affairs Canada, US Embassy Regional Reconstruction and Provincial Teams, Chemonics, DCEO, Cordaid, German Government, Malteser International, ASODH, Government of Japan, IRC, the Global Fund, WVI, Islamic relief, COS, Global Medic, DRC, NDI, LWF, IRI, DCA, DRC, and the Iraqi Civil Society Program Organization.

Through its engagements and partnerships WRO has gained extensive international knowledge and experience Operationally in: Donor Relations, Finance Management, Compliance and Quality Management, Procurement and Logistics Management, Administration Management, H/R Management, Security Management and Programmatically in Donor Relations, MEAL Management, Advocacy, Multi-Sectorial Programming, AAP, Humanitarian Policies, Standards, and Protocols, PCM, Program and Portfolio Management, Change Management, Proposal and Reporting, Coordination, etc.

Affiliations

WRO engages in active participation and engagement in the relevant local clusters, working groups, and humanitarian transitional tasks forces including; Governorate-level, District-Level, and National Protection, GBV and CP, Livelihoods, MHPSS, Clusters and Working Groups in Erbil, Dohuk and Ninewa in addition to the national Legal Working Group (LWG), Child Safeguarding Working Group (CSGWG), and Networks, including the Adolescent Girls Taskforce (AGTF), GBV Information Management Taskforce (GBVIMS), Technology-Facilitated GBV Task Force (TFGBVTF), Case Management Task Force (CMTF), Returns Working Group (RWG), Peace-Building and Reconciliation Working Group (PBRWG), Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Task Force, and with the NGO Coordination Committee of Iraq (NCCI). WRO also continued to actively engaged as an official member with the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (ACPHA) and the Association of International Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Protection (PHAP). Furthermore, WRO has previously had the honor to serve as the Chair on the Executive Board of the NGO Coordination Committee of Iraq (NCCI), Co-Chair of the Iraq Adolescent Girls Taskforce, and observer member of the Humanitarian Pool Fund (IHPF) and the Iraq Humanitarian Country Team (HCT).

OUR APPROACH

Our Vision

WROs vision is built on the principles and believes in collaborate and collective action of civil society, international organizations, and individuals in investing in the communal needs of refugee, IDPs and host communities to forge social cohesion and peaceful coexistence.

Our Mission

WROs mission is to engage as humanitarian aid workers to provide effective and efficient humanitarian aid and development support and empower individuals and communities to become agents of change where every woman, man and child have access to social justice, gender equality and a dignified life free from violence and discrimination.

Our Mandate

Provide high quality humanitarian and development support services in response to community-based needs to empower rights holders with the utmost dignity, care, and compassion.
Exemplify unconditional commitment to non-discrimination, impartiality, solidarity, transparency, sensitivity to local cultures, promoting human dignity, participation and dialogue.
Ensure that all children have equal rights to education, fun, play, and protection from abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence, and that everyone has a responsibility to support the protection of children. Secure a stronger commitment by governments and international donors to place human rights, child rights, and women’s rights and gender equality as an integral part of broader humanitarian and development policies.
Ensure that women’s voices are equally represented in diverse structures and platforms at all levels of government and civil society as decision makers and leaders.
Advocate and lobby to reform the legal system to protect all women from all types of discrimination, harassment, and violence.
Increase economic empowerment opportunities for women to support themselves and their families and work towards their self-resiliency and self-determination as agents of change.
Raise awareness on women’s issues amongst the local population and create a space that encourages dialogue and collective action to work towards the advancement and protection of women’s rights
Support diverse communities to foster reconciliation, social cohesion, and peacebuilding through grassroots facilitation, empower communities from within.
Empower all members of society equally offering the same opportunities for men and women and welcoming and building alliances with males in the community to join us in solidarity and in action as agents of change in our mission towards advancing gender equality and combatting violence against women.
Share our learned experiences and knowledge as an organization with other civil society organizations, especially women rights organizations to empower them to be able to participate in local, regional, and global structures to raise the voice of the communities they serve and advocate for resources.

SGBV OBJECTIVES

WRO’s Specific Objectives Towards Combatting Violence Against Women

Empower survivors through a holistic, integrated, survivor centered approach, providing a safe-space and essential and vital social, health, economic, protection, community and survivor support care to survivors of GBV and those at risk.
Reduce the risk of GBV and raise awareness among women and adolescent girls of their rights and educate the community men and women regarding GBV, the law, and social constraints and the value of equal participation.
Reduce the stigmatized risk and barriers to accessing Protection, GBV, and COVID19 support services and care.
Strengthen prevention and response to GBV and protection risks and potential health pandemics as COVD19 by continuing to bolster women and girls overall self-resiliency and self-sufficiency to respond to current events and prepare for future health or even armed, civil, political, or social crisis.
To be strengthened as an organization to be able to deliver the highest quality of care to the community and survivors we serve, to build the capacity of our greatest asset, our teams, and to strengthen our capacity to help support other CSOs through a peer to peer approach in their community responses and advocate together for the needs of the most vulnerable and voiceless.

OUR CORE VALUES

Integrity
Progress
Innovation
Empathy
Dependability
Commitment

Accountability
Passion
Courage
Trust
Excellence
Inclusivity

WRO’s Commitment To Humanitarian Action Standards and Principles

HUMANITY

Human suffering must be addressed wherever it is found. The purpose of humanitarian action is to protect life and health and ensure respect for human beings.

IMPARTIALITY

Humanitarian action must be carried out on the basis of need alone, giving priority to the most urgent cases of distress and making no adverse distinction on the basis of nationality, race, gender, religious belief, class or political opinion.

INDEPENDENCE

Humanitarian action must be autonomous from the political, economic, military or other objectives that any actor may hold with regard to areas where humanitarian action is being implemented.

NEUTRALITY

Humanitarian actors must not take sides in hostilities or engage in controversies of a political, racial, religious or ideological nature.