Iraq Leadership Fellows

Zainab Abdel Fattah Mohamed is a civil society activist and head of the organization ‘Volunteer With Us’ in Fallujah. She has a Bachelor’s Degree  in Life Sciences from the University of Mosul. Zainab also works as a social researcher for the Sabe Sanabel Organization for Relief and Development, where she focuses on child protection. Zainab is participating in the Social Activist Fellowship.

Dr Tareq Omairi is the Learning and Development Manager for the the International Commission on Missing Persons. He previously worked in the Research and Innovation Department at the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom, where he was responsible for the professional development of over 2700 doctoral students and researchers. Tareq is participating in the Political Candidate Fellowship.

Karwan Khoshnaw is a Political Affairs Officer and Head of Sulaimanyah Liaison Office for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). Khoshnaw holds a B.A. in International Studies from the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS) and an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Sussex, UK. He studied his master’s as part of the Chevening Program, a prestigious UK government’s scholarship funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Karwan is participating in the Political Candidate Fellowship.

Salah Abdul-Jalil Essa is a social activist who works on hearing impairment and speech disorders with children. He is also an English language, interpreter and tutor in the field of English phonetics and phonology. Salah has a passion for tackling illiteracy and has volunteered to teach in a local literacy center in Diyala province. He is an English language graduate from Al-Mustansiriyah University. Salah is participating in the Social Activist Fellowship.

Mustafa Hassan (Mustafa Al-Soufi) is the IWPR Deputy Editor-in-Chief, human rights blogger, and researcher specializing in community journalism. Mustafa has worked on numerous human rights advocacy projects and on promoting social cohesion and the fight against extremism in partnership with local and international organizations. He is the founder of the blog “Khan Jagan”. Mustafa is participating in the Social Activism Fellowship.

Hanar Marouf is a project manager for a project on democratization in the Middle East for Norwegian People’s Aid. She is an activist on human rights issues and a journalist, and she has published articles in international media outlets. Hanar founded the first English-Kurdish magazine for youth in Iraq. She is also a PhD candidate in Politics and International Relations at the Kurdistan University of Hewler. Hanar is participating in the Political Candidate Fellowship.

Rahmah Khalid fled Mosul in 2014 when ISIS took control of the city, and she has been engaged in humanitarian work since then. She has worked as a Shelter Assistant with Human Appeal Organization and as a Livelihoods Assistant for the International Red Cross. Rahma currently works with the Norwegian Refugee Council as a Livelihoods Officer. Rahmah is participating in the Social Activist Fellowship.

Zahra Kadhem al-Sadr is is a member of the Political Bureau of the National Wisdom Movement through which she’s been involved in various political, diplomatic and social fields. Zahra began her career through writing, journalism and cultural activism and was educated by the late Professor Mohammed Abbas Darraji, the founder and editor of the only Shiite al-Kawthar magazine, which was published in the time of the former regime. Zahra is participating in the Political Candidate Fellowship.

Alaa Mohammed is a social activist from Baghdad. She started her career as a volunteer, and then worked with several international organizations as a project manager. She’s currently working with the National Democratic Institute. Alaa holds a Master’s degree in Animal Science from Mustansiriya University, Faculty of Science. She’s Interested in the field of human rights and community awareness. Alaa is participating in the Social Activist Fellowship.

Aqeel Razzaq Abbas al-Hassani SA is civil activists and an employee of the Iraqi Red Crescent Society in which he’s the Youth and Volunteer sector officer. He’s also the President of the Young Paths for Development Foundation and a member of the National Council for the success of Iraq 21. Aqeel holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Qadisiyah University.

Meeraj Ahmad PC is a lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Kirkuk. He holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Kirkuk and a master’s degree from Mansoura University in Egypt and a PhD researcher at the University of Kirkuk, Criminal Law Department. Meeraj is interested in human development.

Rusal Satea Ismail PC is a staff member of the Psychosocial Support Group at INTERSOS. Prior to that, she worked as a youth trainer for the local handicrafts organization for more than two years. Russell has a bachelor’s degree in radio media from the University of Tikrit.

Hussain Sayed  is a Lecturer in the Electrical Engineering Department, University of Technology – Baghdad. After taking an entrepreneurship fellowship programme at UNITAR in 2017 – Japan Office, he started working closely with senior undergraduates on strengthening their knowledge and skills in the field of entrepreneurial graduation projects. Hussain received his Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from University of Technology – Baghdad, and a Master of Science in Systems Engineering from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, USA.

Mustafa Al-Jashaami is the head of the Y-PEER Network in Iraq. Prior to that, Mustafa was a the coordinator at the Al Namaa’ Center for human rights in Maysan and a member of the Iraqi Center for Negotiations Skills and Conflict Resolution. He is also currently working as a trainer in several fields, such as peer education, human rights, and life skills. Mustafa has a TOT certificate from the United Nations Population Fund at the National Center for Culture and Arts in King Hussein City, Jordan. Mustafa is participating in the Social Acitivst Fellowship.

Mohamed Masoud Jumaa is the National Coordinator of the International Peer Education Network (Y-PEER) and one of the founders of “Make it Beautiful” campaign in Mosul to clean and raise awareness within the city. Mohamed is participating in the Social Activist Fellowship. Mohamed is participating in the Social Activist Fellowship.

Shnyar Anwar Hassan is the Founder and Director of the Woman and Democracy office in New Generation Movement. She has an MA in Sociology from Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marthwada University in India. Shanyar’s writings appeared on many local outlets including NRT tv, Westga news, kurdish policy and Xandan. Shnyar is participating in the Political Candidate Fellowship.

Farhan Ibrahim Shangali is a Yezidi activist and the Iraq Director and founder of Youth Bridge Organization and a member of the Youth Office of the Permanent Standing Committee for Community Peace of the Iraqi Council of Ministers. He received a Bachelor’s degree from the College of Education, Department of Mathematics 2017_2016, participated in dozens of seminars, conferences and workshops on human rights and minority rights, youth, gender equality and social justice since IS attacked Sinjar areas and to date outside and inside Iraq. Farhan is participating in the Political Candidate Fellowship.

Shahad Dhyaaldin is an investigative journalist and a lawyer with a BA in Media and Law. She’s been active in civil society for the last 9 years. Shahad is the Executive Director of Al-Watan Training and Development Company. She is also the Vice President of Youth Without Borders for Development and Relief. Shahad is participating in the Political Candidate Fellowship.

Ahmed Yousif Kitan Jumaili is a lecturer in International Relations at the College of Iraq’s National University, and a researcher specialized in political affairs at the Nahrain Center for Strategic Studies. He published his first two books entitled “Turkey in the Era of the Justice and Development Party: Internal Transformations and External Bets”; and the second entitled “Russia and Crisis Management: The Return of the Russian Bear to the International Arena”. Ahmed is participating in the Political Candidate Fellowship.

Ahmed Alaa Yaqoob is a Project officer in the INNOVATE Program with Mercy Corps. He also worked with UNDP as a volunteer trainer in Innovation for Development Program. He has graduated from the University of Baghdad, College of Business Administration, Statistics department. He is interested in working with NGOs on programs related to community issues and especially the youth sector. Ahmed is participating in the Social Activist Fellowship.

Aws al-Adhafr Al-Khafaji is a civil and human rights activist. He worked as an international monitor for human rights violations in Iraq for three years documenting violations of human rights particularly violations committed by the IS. He is now the Director and Supervisor of the Youth Academy program that runs in 14 Iraqi provinces funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) on youth empowerment and leadership development. Aws al-Adhafr is participating in the Social Activist Fellowship.

Ayat Abbas is a civil society activist, a journalist and a sports teacher at a girls’ high school and an editor of a news agency. She is part of the Women in Political Decision-Making Program as part of the National Reconciliation Process. Ayat has a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education from the University of Kirkuk, and a Diploma in Journalism from the Dutch Institute in Erbil. She is interested in writing about women-related issues.

Firmesk Othman is an MA student in English Literature at the University of Sulaimani. She worked as an Assistant Researcher at the English Department/University of Garmian. Beside education, Firmesk has worked with several local and international NGOs, doing different tasks and activities in social and humanitarian affairs. Firmesk is participating in the Political Candidate Fellowship.

Paiman Ahmadn is a Lecturer at the College of Humanities in the Law Department, and she is the Head of the Administration Department at the University of Raparin in Rania. Her research interests include energy governance, good governance, citizen participation, economic development and the role of women in the economies of developing countries. Paiman is participating in the Social Activism Fellowship.

Ahmed Asaad Abdel Razak worked as a legal adviser in the Office of the Minister of Science and Technology was selected representative of the youth group in the city of Samarra to negotiate with the Iraqi government in 2013 to get laws approved that were advocated by a group of volunteers. Ahmed also established a development team for creativity in 2015 in Salahuddin and worked as a trainer for life skills within the International Academy of Training and Development. Ahmed is participating in the Political Candidate Fellowship.

Noor Mohammed Al-Ghanmi is a member of more than one civil society organization and a social activist. She is currently working as coordinator of the Child for Human Protection Program in partnership with UNICEF. Noor holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Information Technology. Noor is participating in the Social Activist Fellowship.

Hemin Abbas is a civil activist working with the Kokar volunteer team in Kirkuk as a legal consultant in addition to his work in the field of law as a jurist. He participated in several voluntary and humanitarian activities in the city as well courses in human and social development. Hemin is participating in the Social Activist Fellowship.

Hazhir Jaff is the Founder of Kurdistan Youth Vision which is purely a voluntary organization formed by intellectual groups of professional young. It is an independent, not-for-profit organisation, focused on policy issues relating to the youth. Hazhir is also a political and economic analyst and Journalist (covered ISIS war). He is also Head of International Youth Committee Organization and vice curator of Global Shapers Community- Erbil Hub. Hazzhir is participating in the Political Candidate Fellowship.

Nabeel Jabbar is a Civil Engineer and has been working in the field of construction and director of a contracting company for nearly ten years. He is also a writer in the political and social fields and a blogger in the social networks. He has an interest in studying the economy and its effects on societies. Nabeel is participating in the Political Candidate Fellowship.

Adel Al-Ogaili is a lecturer at the College of Political Science at the University of Baghdad. He has a PhD in Political Science from the University of Baghdad and a Master’s degree in Political Science from Nahrain University. Adel is the Executive Director of the Governance Center for Public Policies, a registered civil society organization, and a member of the National Reconciliation Strategy in Iraq. Adel is participating in the Political Candidate Fellowship.

Salam Jameel Hutaimee is from Anbar. He is a Site Security Manager with Janus Global Operations (JGO) – Ramadi project. Prior to that, he was an English teacher in a preparatory school and a translator with Doctors Without Borders for several years. Salam has a Bachelor’s degree in English Language from Baghdad University and has obtained several certifications from many international NGO’s over the years. Salam is participating in the Political Candidate Fellowship.

Hanadi Saad is an Iraqi civil society and political activist and human rights defender in Basra with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Petroleum Geology. She is a chairperson of the Durar-Iraq Association for Humanitarian Development in Basra, and her work has focused on protecting and promoting the rights of Afro-descendant Iraqis, among other marginalized populations. She has been a responsible voice for reform and has advocated tirelessly for good governance. Hanadi is participating in the Political Candidate Fellowship.

Faten Al-Saedi is an Art Teacher and Trainer. She worked as a volunteer to train young people in the areas of leadership, development, peace building, and team work with the Ministry of Youth and Sport. Faten has been working on developing her personal and technological skills and recently started a free online project that helps children with their school work. The project has received approval from the community and was joined by almost 121,000 Iraqi families. Faten is participating in the Social Activist Fellowship.

Hamzah Makki Saleh is from Maysan province and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Najah Iraq 21 network. He is a graduate of the Civil Society Academy in Tunisia. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Oil Engineering from the College of Architecture and he is an employee of Maysan Oil Company, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Oil. Hamza is interested in the field of writing and analyzing public policies. He is currently seeking to build a research institution focused on presenting policies to decision makers and influencing them. Hamzah is participating in the Political Candidate Fellowship.

Nahla Al-Anzi is a Lecturer in the Department of Information at Al-Farabi University in Baghdad. She has a PhD in Public Relations from College of Information, University of Baghdad. Nahla is a civil society activist and a member of the administrative board of Iraqi Public Relations Association and a Member of the Voice of Students Media Foundation. She participated in workshops and training courses inside and outside Iraq and has received a large number of certifications from governmental and non-governmental institutions. Nahla is participating in the Social Activist Fellowship.

Mohammed Faza’a Abdulrazaq is an EFL/ESP instructor and international office assistant at the University of Fallujah. As an IDP and recent returnee, he has also served as a volunteer teacher. He witnessed and survived violent extremism. He has worked a community protection officer for the International Rescue Committee in the IDP camps. Right after the retreat of ISIS in mid-2016, he worked as a humanitarian field coordinator for UNFPA in Ramadi in Anbar province. He believes that education and youth intellectual development is a critical tool in post-conflict stabilization period.

Mohammed Falih al-Saadi is a lawyer from Baghdad and the Managing Director of AlQemma Consulting and Legal Services company, as well as a political activist. He holds a Master’s Degree in law and he’s currently a PhD student. Mohammed has nine years of experience in youth training and was named one of the top ten best activists in Iraq, according to the report of the Ministry of Youth and Sports in 2013.

Shahad Murshed is from Tikrit in Salahaddin province and she is currently working in a civil society organization. She has been working as a team leader on gender-based violence for three years. Shahad holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Tikrit. Shahad is participating in the Social Activist Fellowship.