MESPO

Dr. MamRash, a peace activist, began his work with the Middle East Sustainable Peace Organization (MESPO) after meeting the organization's founder, Mr. Hastiar Sheikhani, for the first time at American Corner - University of Kurdistan Hawler (UKH). Intrigued by the organization's mission, Dr. MamRash expressed his interest in joining MESPO and was subsequently asked to lead the workshop entitled "Preserving Middle Eastern Christian Identity in Diverse Communities" for 20 young individuals from Ainkawa, Erbil on July 25th, 2017. This workshop focused on various skills such as dialogue, cultural diversity, preservation of language and arts, and promoting peace and coexistence. The workshop was held at Catholic University in Erbil - CUE, and after its success, Dr. MamRash was appointed as the head of the Erbil Council of MESPO.

In addition to leading the council, Dr. MamRash also managed MESPO's social media pages and designed various campaigns promoting peacebuilding, conflict resolution, good governance, and religious pluralism. He went on to lead the "Religious Pluralism Program," a three-day project in Sulaymaniyah, from February 8th to 10th, 2018. The program consisted of visiting various worship centers, workshops on identity, dialogue and communication, interfaith dialogue, and peace through dialogue, as well as training on peacebuilding project designing. The program concluded with a youth interfaith panel featuring panelists from all religions in Kurdistan, including Christians, Bahaii, Kakayi, Muslims, Ezidis, and Zoroastrians.

Dr. MamRash's leadership skills and dedication were further recognized when he was appointed as one of the five board members of MESPO in March 2018. In April 2018, he and Mr. Hastiar Sheikhani organized a workshop entitled "Peaceful Electoral Advocacy" in Erbil, Lebanese-French University. The workshop included diverse participants from different political backgrounds, and the skills required for having peaceful electoral campaigns were explained and practiced which comprised dialogue, non-violent communication, advocacy, and social change skills.

From July to September 2018, Dr. MamRash played a significant role in organizing the first "Kurdistan International Peace Carnival 2018" in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. As one of the board members and organizers of the carnival, Dr. MamRash was responsible for the event's marketing, both digital and traditional. The event, which focused on celebrating peace, diversity, and cultural heritage in the region, was a massive success, drawing 5000 attendees. Dr. MamRash's success in marketing the event, mostly on social media, was a significant accomplishment for him.

In the following project, Dr. MamRash and the MESPO team launched a social media campaign, "MESPO Goes Orange," as part of The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. Dr. MamRash turned the MESPO logo on all social media accounts to orange and created a Facebook frame design that went viral and used by public figuers in the region.

Dr. MamRash's involvement in promoting peace continued in the "Kurdistan Peace Carnival 2019," which was held in both Sulaymaniyah and Erbil. He was a strong candidate for board membership during the elections in March 2019, but he withdrew to allow new young people to bring new ideas to the organization. He became the only advisor to the board of directors of MESPO after the elections.

Kurdistan International Peace Carnival 2018 & 2019

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