Sargul, you studied sociology and psychology and are now working as a trauma therapist, mainly with children in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. When did you know you wanted to work in this field?
Sargul Naboureh: I was working as a social worker at an elementary school in Erbil, Kurdistan when the war in neighbouring Syria began in 2011. Suddenly, tens of thousands of people sought refuge in Iraq, mainly in Kurdistan. The situation got worse after ISIS seized Mosul in 2014 and millions of Iraqis were forced to leave their homes, among them numerous children.
At school, I noticed that many of the children were traumatised and needed special support. War had taken their childhood from them, and that really touched my heart. This motivated me to study psychology and to specialise in trauma therapy.
You are currently working at Green Desert, an NGO based in Erbil. What does your work look like?
Sargul Naboureh: Keeping in mind the effect traumatising experiences can have on a person, like a disconnection to feelings and bodily sensations, we try to create an appreciative, supportive and stabilising environment by offering a range of different activities, such as entertainment, gaming and non-formal education. In addition to individual psychotherapy sessions, we also offer stress management training, both for refugees and IDPs as well as for the host community. It is important to offer support to the whole community, not just to a certain part of it, such as refugees and IDPs, in order to prevent conflicts between different groups.
What are the biggest professional challenges you are currently facing?
Sargul Naboureh: One issue is project-based funding, which is limited in terms of time and money and thus contrasts with the needs we see at our locations where we have a large number of people in need of psychological support and long-term and specialised treatment. This setting would require a bigger team, including specialised staff, who are able to support the community for a longer period of time.
What is your highlight or biggest takeaway from the CCP Fellowship and the collaboration with TraumaAid?
Sargul Naboureh: I have learned that one of the most valuable skills human activists can have is conflict resolution. During the CCP fellowship, we gained a greater understanding of peace and conflict, possible causes as well as intervention strategies. I found it fascinating to learn about how migration and related concerns might lead to societal conflict. I spread the CCP message in my job by attempting to raise awareness about the existence of child-friendly spaces for internally displaced people, refugees, and children from the host community to become local peacebuilders in NGOs in Kurdistan. I aim to be able to train children to help them develop their conflict resolution skills for their future.
Sargul Naboureh is a mental health and psychosocial support worker at Green Desert, Erbil. Naboureh has completed degrees in Sociology and Psychology. She was a CCP Fellow at TraumaAid Germany in 2021.
With the CCP Fellowships, the CrossCulture Programme (CCP) funds professionals and committed volunteers from 46 countries. During several months of work-related stays in host organisations in Germany or CCP partner countries, participants deepen their expertise, establish new contacts and acquire intercultural skills. In turn, the host organisations benefit from the expertise, regional knowledge and networks of the CCP Fellows. Participants can also attend intercultural workshops, networking and professional events hosted by the CCP. After returning to their daily working lives, participants then bring the experience they have gained into their home organisation.
