Assyrier Utan Gränser har tidigare berättat om ”Charity for Nineveh”, en välgörenhetsgrupp i Danmark som fått tillstånd från danska motsvarigheten till svensk insamlingskontroll att samla in bidrag till förmån för assyrier i Irak.
Assyrier Utan Gränser har nu tagit emot en första gåva på 20 000 DKK, drygt 24 000kr, som samlats in under september månad. Nedan följer en intervju på engelska med en av männen bakom initiativet, Zaya Youkhanis.
What is Charity for Nineveh?
Charity for Nineveh is a fundraising relief project, which was supposed to be a month long. However, due to the situation in Iraq we decided to extend the period.
Who are the people behind Charity for Nineveh?
Right now, only four friends that live in Aarhus, Denmark, and another close friend working as an advisor – he moved to Sweden a year ago but has still managed to support the project. The four of us in Denmark are all university-level students in different areas; one pursuing a master’s degree in electrical engineering, another pursuing a master’s degree in finance, a soon to be bachelor in marine engineering, and a political science student at master level.
Recently however, we have been trying to expand our activities by recruiting like-minded Assyrians in Denmark.
How did you come up with the idea for the charity?
It was partly due to anger; after the conquest of Mosul and attack on the Nineveh Plains, we felt helpless on behalf of our Assyrian people in Iraq. After discussing it, we decided to start Charity for Nineveh and help the Assyrian refugees through this project. Even though the amount is not vast, we felt that action was needed rather than doing nothing.
What was the purpose of it?
The purpose is to help the Assyrian (including the Chaldean and Syriac) refugees. This is sadly enough not the first time our people have fled the situation in Iraq and the Middle East.
How did you raise money?
We came up with the idea of selling rubber bracelets, with “Support Nineveh” written on them. “Nineveh” is historically connected with the Assyrian Empire but it is also the name of the region in Iraq.
The “Support Nineveh” bracelets are currently being sold by several shop owners in Denmark, as well as being distributed by ourselves, the organizers of “Charity for Nineveh”.
We were on one occasion also given the opportunity to sell the bracelets after church service at the Assyrian Church of the East.
What are your plans for the future?
We would like to see a growth of the support for the Charity for Nineveh project; especially so, by the local community in Aarhus so that we can help our refuged people on a much larger scale.
We also wish to plan and conduct charity events, both to raise awareness and funds.
Why did you want to donate the money to Assyrians Without Borders?
After discussing the issue, a close friend of ours in Sweden introduced us to your organization. We all agreed that AWB had precisely the same goals as we did, as well as well-established contacts and distribution methods in Iraq. Establishing those of our own would require much energy and resources, so we decided that donating our collected funds through AWB was the best short-term solution.
We hope to see Assyrians all over the world rise to their duty, and help our refuged people in every way possible.
A big thank you goes out to all the organizations helping the Assyrian refugees in Iraq, which are standing in front of yet another genocide, and of course a special thanks to Assyrian Without Borders. We wish you to succeed in your work.
am khobaan o iqaaran.
Martin Koshaba, Odisho Warda Odisho, Martin Dawood, Marco Khoshaba and Zaya Youkhanis
Assyrians Without Borders thank you for your work and generous donation!
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