Rebuilding Hope Through Sport: Empowering the Next Generation in Post-Conflict Settings

After the Yazidi genocide, when ISIS sought to destroy an entire people and their way of life, survivors and returnees in Sinjar face the immense task of rebuilding not just infrastructure but hope. Today, where conflict once devastated a community, sport has emerged as a powerful force for healing. 

Through spaces like the Women’s Sports Complex and the NI Women’s Center, Nadia’s Initiative is helping young women and youth rediscover confidence, connection, and joy through sport. Women and girls are at the forefront of this transformation, shaping new social norms, redefining what’s possible, and using their strength to drive change. Here, sport is a pathway to agency, leadership, and belonging in a community still grappling with the impact of genocide.

These survivor-led spaces challenge restrictive norms and restore what ISIS sought to erase. Each match played strengthens social ties, supports mental health, and models a new vision of gender equality for the next generation.