First exploratory mission to Sinjar
Return of the first exploratory mission run by La Chaîne de l'Espoir in Sinjar, Iraq
A first exploratory mission took place from 15th to 20th February 2019 in the Sinjar district, in Iraq. It was composed of the French Ambassador in Iraq, Mr. Bruno Aubert, by representatives of the Crisis Centre of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, by Dr. Éric Cheysson, President of La Chaîne de l'Espoir and by Mr. Marc Wautier, Director of the Hospital Department of La Chaîne de l'Espoir.
A hospital for Sinjar
This mission, in close collaboration with the French government and the Iraqi authorities, aimed to assess the situation in order to provide surgical capacity through the construction of a general hospital, with an emphasis on the Mother-Child dimension.
The lack of health facilities in the partially destroyed city of Sinjar is a barrier to the return of the Yezidi population. It was therefore at the initiative of Nadia Murad and the Crisis and Support Centre that La Chaîne de l'Espoir was contacted to assess the feasibility of such a project, given its expertise in hospital construction and its presence in the region for over 3 years, rehabilitating health facilities and working in close cooperation with medical and surgical Iraqi staffs.
On the initiative of Nadia Murad
Nadia Murad, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2018, survived the genocide of the Yezidis. At the age of 23, she testified before the United Nations Security Council and was appointed Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for the dignity of survivors of human trafficking on 16 September 2016. She is also the founder of Nadia’s Initiative, an organization dedicated to helping women and children victims of genocide, mass atrocities, and human trafficking to heal and rebuild their lives and communities.
