In March 2020, ICAN and its global network of women-led peacebuilding organizations, WASL, launched the She Builds Peace (SBP) campaign.
Kareemat Center is an organization that supports conflict-affected Syrian women and children who sought refuge in Turkey. Established in 2014, Kareemat works to promote equality for women and the fulfilment of their human rights in order to build a society that believes in peace, justice, and equality for all members of society to live in dignity.
Kareemat has developed programs that support women’s transition to life in Turkey, focusing on issues affecting refugees and the challenges associated with forced asylum, including providing free Turkish language courses, vocational training, job opportunities, literacy courses, legal education, and raising awareness on the rights of refugees. Kareemat has also developed programs combatting domestic violence and providing psychosocial support programs.
ICAN’s Innovative Peace Fund has supported Kareemat since 2019.
Core Areas of Work:
The ongoing war in Syria has resulted in the world’s largest refugee crisis with more than 13 million people forcibly displaced since the beginning of the conflict in 2011. Kilis, a Turkish border city, is the main point of entry from Syria and is home to around 200,000 Syrians. Kareemat, a women-led peacebuilding organization in Kilis, Turkey, is making a profound impact on Syrian refugee women and their families. Supported by ICAN, Kareemat addresses the challenges of displacement, isolation, and economic hardships through psychological support, language classes, and economic empowerment resources, fostering integration and reducing tensions between Turkish and Syrian communities.
“I often dream the jasmine returns to Syria to decorate and perfume our streets.” As the Syrian regime rained barrel bombs on her hometown in Syria, Najlaa and her family were forced to flee to Turkey where she established the first organization led by a Syrian woman to help other women refugees with literacy, economic empowerment, and psychosocial support. Peace Hero Najlaa El Sheikh speaks to ICAN about her journey, her work, and her dreams.

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