{"id":4094,"date":"2025-10-18T07:46:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-18T07:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chawyzanko.org\/?p=4094"},"modified":"2025-10-18T07:49:24","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T07:49:24","slug":"standing-together-against-irregular-migration-empowering-communities-protecting-futures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chawyzanko.org\/?p=4094","title":{"rendered":"Standing Together Against Irregular Migration: Empowering Communities, Protecting Futures"},"content":{"rendered":"

Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq \u2013 October 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n

Across the Kurdistan Region, the reality of irregular migration<\/strong> continues to affect thousands of young people and families seeking safety and opportunity abroad. While migration remains a human right, unsafe and irregular routes have cost many lives and dreams. To respond to this challenge, more than 20 civil-society organizations from across Iraq<\/strong>came together for a four-day workshop titled \u201cCommunity Engagement to Reduce Irregular Migration from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (CERIM KRI)\u201d<\/strong>, organized by the Women Empowerment Organization (WEO)<\/strong> with the support of the UK Government (FCDO)<\/strong> and the Seefar Foundation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Chawy Zanko Organization (CZO)<\/strong> was honored to play an active role in this initiative, sharing its experience in youth empowerment, civic engagement, and awareness campaigns<\/strong> that address the social roots of irregular migration.<\/p>\n

\n

Understanding the Human Story Behind Migration<\/h3>\n

Held at Van Royal Hotel, Erbil<\/strong> from 13 to 16 October 2025<\/strong>, the workshop brought together youth leaders, NGO representatives, and community activists to discuss why people migrate irregularly and how communities can respond<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

CZO\u2019s delegation emphasized that migration is not simply a movement\u2014it is a human story driven by hope, dignity, and survival.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cMigration is not only about borders; it\u2019s about belonging and opportunity,\u201d said Bilal Faris Ahmed<\/strong>, President & Executive Director of CZO. \u201cOur duty is to empower young people to see their future here at home, not in uncertainty abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

From Risk to Resilience<\/h3>\n

Through sessions on the psychological, physical, and legal consequences<\/strong> of irregular migration, participants reflected on the hidden costs of unsafe journeys.
CZO shared lessons from its ongoing work with youth networks and returnees, encouraging NGOs to replace fear with understanding<\/strong> and punishment with support<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Interactive \u201cHot Chair\u201d and storytelling exercises revealed how trauma and misinformation shape migration decisions\u2014and how trusted community voices<\/strong> can counter them.<\/p>\n

\n

<\/h3>\n

Preventing Irregular Migration Through Empowerment<\/h3>\n

The final day focused on prevention through empowerment<\/strong>: education, youth participation, and sustainable livelihoods.
CZO presented its Student Empowerment Model (SEM)<\/strong> and Youth Campaign Framework<\/strong>, practical tools that universities and local groups can adopt to build awareness and provide opportunities before migration becomes a desperate choice.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe cannot stop people from dreaming,\u201d Bilal Faris added. \u201cBut we can help them dream differently\u2014by giving them the means to build a dignified life here.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

\ud83e\udd1d A Shared Commitment<\/h3>\n

The CERIM KRI program, supported by the UK Government\u2019s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)<\/strong> and the Seefar Foundation<\/strong>, showed what true partnership looks like\u2014when international support meets local leadership<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For CZO, this collaboration reinforces its mission to promote informed choices, youth participation, and social resilience<\/strong>.
As migration continues to shape the region\u2019s future, Chawy Zanko Organization<\/strong> remains committed to building awareness, creating opportunities, and amplifying the voices of young people determined to thrive in their own communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq \u2013 October 2025 Across the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4100,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,147,19,140,139],"tags":[22,149,150,148],"class_list":["post-4094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campaign","category-irreguler-migration","category-leadership","category-project","category-training","tag-campaign","tag-irregular-migration","tag-partnership","tag-youth","post_format-post-format-gallery"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chawyzanko.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chawyzanko.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chawyzanko.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chawyzanko.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chawyzanko.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4094"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/chawyzanko.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4094\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4110,"href":"https:\/\/chawyzanko.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4094\/revisions\/4110"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chawyzanko.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chawyzanko.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chawyzanko.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chawyzanko.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}