Creative Arts Bringing Hope of Peace in Northern Iraq

"A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out" Isaiah 42:3

This week we bring you news of Mosaic Middle East's exciting new youth empowerment project in northern Iraq. Working with our local partner, Sustainable Peace Foundation, the Bruised Reed project is providing young people with training in the therapeutic use of creative arts. 

Years of war and conflict have driven an estimated 80 per cent of Iraq's Christians out of their homeland. After two years of control by the armed group ISIS, the millennia-old town of Qaraqosh in northern Iraq had been subjected to looting and urban warfare before it was recaptured by Iraqi security forces and allied militias. When the town's Christian inhabitants began to return they were greeted by insecurity and a shortage of jobs and basic services. Among those most affected have been the youth of Qaraqosh whose hopes for the future continue to be dashed by the combined impact of conflict and the poor economy.

As part of our Nineveh SEED programme, Mosaic Middle East worked with the Sustainable Peace Foundation to transform a disused building into a thriving youth cafe in Qaraqosh. The cafe provides employment and training opportunities, as well as being a safe space for young people to meet and build community.

Based at the cafe, the Bruised Reed project is providing training in the therapeutic use of creative arts: music, theatre, art, and writing. The classes are giving disempowered young people an outlet for processing some of the trauma they have experienced, as well as the opportunity to celebrate and take pride in expressing their culture. The Bruised Reed project is kindly funded via a grant from the Highway One Trust.