Under the theme of “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together” Better World organization for Community Development celebrated WIHW 2019 with different activities. The organization invited young people of different faiths to participate in the activities.  We believe on the theme we used for this year; that if we go a lone (which means work or live alone) we are able to go fast but not far! But if we go, work and live together despite of any differences among us we are able to go far and achieve deep goals and create better world where all people live in peace and happiness. That is why, young Yazidis, Christians, and Muslims together celebrated World Interfaith Harmony occasion by working together and implanting activities together to develop their community and create harmony among people of different faiths, ethnicities, and backgrounds.

Better World organization started the activity of creating two Harmony Garden in two IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps where Muslims and Yazidies are living in. The activity invited 15 women and youth from each camp to create the garden in the occasion of World Interfaith Harmony Week, in total 30 women and youth participated in the activity. The activity started on 3rd February up to 25th February.  On 26th February an opening ceremony conducted for the two gardens where people in the camp, stakeholders and TV have been invited to the event. It is worth to mention a group of young volunteers of different religions Muslims and Christians from Duhok participated in this activity supporting IDPs in creating the gardens. Women and youth together worked on daily basis in a harmony to create these gardens in harmony on the occasion of WIHW.

Achievements

-          One of the major achievements was planting this idea of working voluntary in the minds of the IDPs and bringing different religious groups to work together to create a harmony space that will be for them.

-          Through these gardens we were also giving psychosocial support for the participants as they were getting busy with something useful for the camp and for themselves.

-          We had some psychological cases as well among the participants and as a support for her, she was the one who cut the opening ribbon for the ceremony.

-          One of the gardens was the place of where people were throwing their dirt on and converting a place of dirt to a garden is also protecting the environment.