Project Title: Construction of Kindergarten building at the compound of Mar Qardakh School, Ankawa

Description: The Mar Qardakh school serves the local Catholic community providing education from Kindergarten to Twelfth Grade. It was the first school in the Kurdistan region to adopt the International Baccalaureate curriculum of education. In 2020 Mar Qardakh partnered with the Chesterton Schools Network establishing the St. Thomas Chesterton Academy for the Eleventh and Twelfth grades. In the last two years the demand for seats (places) has increased by 20 percent with the school population now at 460 (109 kindergarten; 210 primaries; 141 secondary). The school’s capacity is now full, and its premises must be expanded to meet the demand; The Kindergarten is therefore a twofold solution of the school’s development strategy to meet the demand for seats (places): to make room for increased applications for the Primary and Secondary stages of the school, and to have a dedicated Kindergarten to meet the current and future demand. Parents will stay in the country when they know their children will be properly educated with a total Catholic identity. The Archdiocese must therefore meet the demand of Christian parents as they look to the Church and rely on it in all matters.

Category of Support: Education – Catholic Kindergarten (Mar Qardakh International School)

Benefactor: ACN Königstein Germany

Beneficiaries: 150 pupils for the SY 2022-23

Amount: US$ 304,000.00

Project Date: 16 March 2023                                                                Closing Date: 20 September 2023

Project Title: AYM is the largest meeting for Christian youth in Iraq; started in 2013 by the Archdiocese of Erbil, the initiative has been met with wild success resulting in subsequent celebrations in 2018 and 2019 and resumed in 2022 following COVID-19 delays. Three days gatherings on 29 June to 01 July 2023, participated by young Christians from Erbil, Alqosh, Baghdad, Basra, Duhok, Zakho, Mosul & Aqra, Sulaymaniyah & Kirkuk.  The event helped the young Christian Catholic leaders to promote evangelization activities, empowers Iraqi young Christians to be the change of their world through witnessing, worshiping, and strengthening their belief in God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. The motto was “Do This in Memory of Me”, helped the youth to understand that their faith comes from Jesus’ command to “do this in memory of Me” that the Eucharist should be “the source and summit of our Christian life’’ and how it helped them to communicate with their brothers and sisters in the community.

Category of Support: Pastoral Care – Youth Ministry

Benefactor: ACN Königstein Germany

Beneficiaries: Over 1,400 youth attendants from all over Iraq; 7 archdioceses accounting for more than 60 parishes young Christians from Erbil, Alqosh, Baghdad, Basra, Duhok, Zakho, Mosul & Aqra, Sulaymaniyah & Kirkuk

Amount: US$ 132,000.00

Project Date: 29 June – 01 July 2023                                                             Closing Date: February 2024

Project Title: Additional 78 scholarships for 4-year scholarship program Catholic University in Erbil (CUE), 2022-23 to 2025/26

Description: Providing scholarships to students in the first Catholic University in Iraq, that serves as the key structure to keep Christianity in Iraq; CUE plays a central role in educating Iraqi society about Christianity through events and seminars with the aim towards reconciliation, justice, peace and social cohesion; It not only gives hope to the young minorities to be able to compete for jobs through higher education, it also gives hope to their parents who would otherwise emigrate if their children could not get the chances CUE and the four Catholic schools under the archdiocese give to them; The CUE is not only be about academia but is also about forming and solidifying lifelong relationships and bonds through the traditional values of a Catholic education; From a sense of community to obtaining life skills, CUE graduates will stand apart from other university graduates of the region, especially in critical thinking; The latter is in great need in a country that learns by rote in society constantly at war; The country needs lateral solutions to their systemic challenges, and this will come from critical thinking education.

Category of Support: Education – Catholic University in Erbil

Benefactor: ACN Königstein Germany

Beneficiaries: 41 students of CUE for Academic year 2022 – 2023

Amount: US$ 116,850.00

Project Date: 20 August 2023                                                                 Closing Date:

Project Title: Providing university education through “Catholic University” in Ankawa

Description: Providing scholarships to students in the first Catholic University in Iraq, that serves as the key structure to keep Christianity in Iraq; CUE plays a central role in educating Iraqi society about Christianity through events and seminars with the aim towards reconciliation, justice, peace and social cohesion; It not only gives hope to the young minorities to be able to compete for jobs through higher education, it also gives hope to their parents who would otherwise emigrate if their children could not get the chances CUE and the four Catholic schools under the archdiocese give to them; The CUE is not only be about academia but is also about forming and solidifying lifelong relationships and bonds through the traditional values of a Catholic education; From a sense of community to obtaining life skills, CUE graduates will stand apart from other university graduates of the region, especially in critical thinking; The latter is in great need in a country that learns by rote in society constantly at war; The country needs lateral solutions to their systemic challenges, and this will come from critical thinking education.

Category of Support: Education – Catholic University in Erbil

Benefactor: Conferenza Episcopale Italiana

Beneficiaries: 50 students of CUE for four academic years from 1 Oct 2022

Amount: € 531,796.00 (Second Tranche 2/4 – Euros 132,949.00 for AY 2023-24)

Project Date: August 2023                                             Closing Date:

Project Title:  Housing support for students studying at CUE AY 2022-23 (Pope Francis Scholarship – PFS 1 & 2).

Description: The CUE is situated in Erbil the capital of Kurdistan. Ankawa consider a city district not a village. House rental in Ankawa is about twice the rental of housing in the Nineveh Plain. When students rent a house, they also have to pay for electricity. The feedback from the Nineveh Plain is that although students want to come to the CUE, they cannot afford the accommodation in Erbil. Accommodation has been a challenge as there is no Halls of Residence/Dorms. By supporting the student with accommodation costs would be extremely helpful to the CUE recruitment process and very supportive to the Christian families to say that the university could provide accommodation on top of the tuition fee to these poorer families in the Nineveh Plains.

Category of Support: Education – Catholic University in Erbil

Benefactor: ACN Königstein Germany

Beneficiaries: 40 students of CUE

Amount: US$ 50,000.00

Project Date:  Academic year 2022-23                                                         Closing Date: