Helping Girls Achieve Their Potential!

A space to learn. A community to belong to.
The confidence to shape her future.

Girls Aged 12–17Kurdistan Region
Girls sharing ideas with a SEED facilitator during a group session Learning and Growing, Together

A Community Where Girls Can Thrive

SEED Girls is a program designed to empower girls (aged 12–17 years) in the Kurdistan Region, as they navigate gender and social barriers, risks, and the challenges they face during adolescence.

SEED Girls fosters a sense of belonging and connection with peers to create a strong, supportive and empowered community.

850+

Young women & girls supported to achieve their potential through SEED Girls

Topics We Cover

  • Girls’ Rights

    To help girls know and understand their rights under the laws of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, and how to assert their rights.

  • Health Rights

    To demystify menstrual hygiene and teach management techniques.

  • Gender-Based Violence

    To educate girls about different types of violence, the consequences of violence, and how to access support services.

  • Safety

    To guide girls on how to identify potential risks and key safety issues in their environment and stay safe in everyday situations.

  • Leadership

    To build decision making skills, establish short and long-term goals and set positive examples for their peers.

  • Online Safety

    To improve tech literacy and teach the safe use of social media and other communication platforms and applications.

Engaging Parents

The parents of SEED Girls are invited to online workshops to complement what their daughters are learning under the program. Parents’ knowledge is deepened on issues affecting their daughters and they are shown how to best support them and form healthy family relationships.

Topics reflect feedback and demand, helping to deepen the long term impact of the program. Examples of some of the topics covered include:

  • Girls’ and Women’s Rights
  • Leadership Skills
  • Financial Literacy and Management
  • Mental Health
  • Social and Emotional Skills
  • Life Skills

Engaging the Community

We work with strong women influencers and other community members in Kurdistan to help strengthen the quality and broaden the delivery of the SEED Girls Program.

Each influencer is successful in their field of work, setting a positive example for SEED Girls participants to follow, including in music, medicine, business and technology.

Positive Role Models

Music. Medicine.
Business. Technology.

Inspiring Girls to Learn and Grow

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English cover of Hane: Made Her Decision, by Mofaq Arif Loni, illustrated by Roza Zana

A SEED Girls Story

Hane: Made Her Decision

Meet Hane, a young woman living in Kurdistan, as she embarks on a journey of self discovery, amid the many challenges of adolescence.

This book, written by Mofaq Arif Loni, illustrated by Roza Zana, and developed by SEED, was informed by the experiences of SEED Girls with the aim of providing young women and girls living in the Kurdistan Region with a relatable journey and an inspirational role model.

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In Their Own Words

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  • SEED Girls Graduate: “I know my rights and now I have very strong self-confidence. Before, my parents were not asking for my opinion on issues and decisions that affected me, but now my parents, and especially my mother, are making an effort to be my friend and ask my opinion on everything related to me.”
  • Mother: “The mothers’ sessions are very important because we can listen and learn about new strategies and ways to deal with our daughters from SEED facilitators and from other mothers’ experiences.”
  • SEED Girls Graduate: “I most like learning about how to protect my privacy, what I should do when I face problems while using the internet, and why I should trust the people around me, especially my family, to support me while I’m facing any issues.”
  • SEED Girls Graduate: “I was suffering from anxiety, aggressive behavior, and daily stress, so [after beginning SEED Girls], I signed up to join more of SEED’s psychosocial support activities, and now I feel more confident and am making more friends with my peers and community members, as well as improving my family relationships — both online and offline.”