In this episode, Embrace CEO Tim Livesey speaks with two staff members from the Ankawa Humanitarian Committee in Iraq, an Embrace partner and Iraqi NGO: Vana Handola, Executive Director, and Alin Rassam, Project Director.

Above: Vana and Alin

Vana and Alin share moving and deeply personal stories about a defining moment in Iraq’s recent history: the establishment of the ISIS Caliphate in June 2014, and what this meant for themselves, their families and the wider community.

They discuss the current pressures facing Iraq’s minority Christian community and talk about their hopes for the future of their homeland.

Vana and Alin also share what they love about Iraq: its beautiful diversity, its rich Christian history and, of course, its culinary delights.

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About Ankawa Humanitarian Committee

Ankawa Humanitarian Committee was founded in 2020. It helps people in northern Iraq who have been affected by conflict and armed violence. It runs community development initiatives, advocates for the protection of displaced people, and promotes solutions to displacement crises. Embrace funds its ‘climate change responsive schools project’, which aims to eliminate the use of single-use plastic bottles in schools and build awareness about climate change.