AMAR ICF provides humanitarian assistance to, and support for, communities.
- Healthcare provision: establishing medical clinics, mobile health units, and primary care centres, working to enhance infrastructure, providing essential medications, and delivering vital healthcare services to those in need.
- Education: recognizing the transformative power of education, the foundation promotes access to quality schooling, building, and refurbishing, schools, supporting teacher training programmes, and facilitating educational initiatives that empower individuals and promote long-term development.
- Women’s empowerment: actively promoting gender and women’s empowerment, improving women’s access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities, providing vocational training and support programmes to enhance women’s skills, independence, and social standing.
- Psychosocial support: acknowledging the psychological impact of conflict and displacement on individuals and communities, addressing this by implementing psychosocial support programmes, providing psychiatry, counselling, trauma care, and mental health services to help individuals heal and rebuild their lives. AMAR is doing groundbreaking work with the use of singing in choirs for rape victims of ISIS, to restore their humanity and self confidence.
- Research and advocacy: highlighting the challenges faced by vulnerable communities and raising awareness of their needs through collaboration with governments, NGOs, and international bodies to influence policies and bring about positive change. Windsor dialogues website to be revived.
- Policy formulation: bringing together (through the ‘Windsor Dialogues’) government, faith, NGO, academic, and other leaders since 2016, developing long-term strategies for eliminating religious persecution as a driver of forced displacement, shifting global thinking about the global refugee crisis.
- AMAR’s significant record of achievement: Since its establishment, AMAR has played a crucial role in delivering essential services and implementing sustainable projects to address the pressing needs of marginalized populations, empowering women and children, fostering social cohesion. It delivers frontline emergency services to refugees, internally displaced people (IDPs) and other underserved populations suffering from the devastating effects of humanitarian disasters. It provides public and primary healthcare services throughout the Middle East, building on existing capacity to instil lasting and sustainable improvements to public health. It delivers a range of education and music projects to benefit both adults and children, generating lasting improvements in the ability of both individuals and communities to prosper and grow. Over ten million people in Iraq, Lebanon, Iran and Pakistan have been able to benefit from the healthcare facilities made available through AMAR, with many more benefiting from the educational opportunities that AMAR provides.’ The Foundation’s internal dashboard covering the period 2005-2021 gives an indication of the foundation’s impact in Iraq alone.
OUR STAFF
AMAR EMPLOYS A SMALL TEAM IN LONDON TO HELP COORDINATE, RAISE FUNDS, PUBLICISE, AND SUPPORT THE OVERSEAS OPERATIONS.
Over the last 30 years, AMAR has employed thousands of local doctors & nurses and teachers to do what they know best in their own country. AMAR has an office in Basra, and presence in Baghdad, Erbil and Dohuk, to allow work across Iraq. AMAR’s staff work within their own communities, ensuring that local skills and capacity are developed and maintained, and allowing work in challenging security environments. The unique local knowledge of AMAR’s field team means that the services provided are always culturally appropriate and tailored to individual communities’ needs.
Kushala Sharma - Head of Finance
Kushala is a highly experienced finance professional specializing in international development, boasting a distinguished career spanning numerous years. With a robust background in both UK-based and international non-profit organizations, she possesses a keen understanding of financial management within complex global contexts.
Her expertise extends beyond conventional financial practices, as she is deeply committed to advancing the empowerment of women and children. Through strategic advocacy and hands-on involvement, Kushala champions initiatives aimed at promoting gender equality and fostering opportunities for marginalized communities.
Kushala’s dedication to driving positive social impact, coupled with her adept financial acumen, positions her as a formidable asset in the field of international development. Her unwavering commitment to creating a more equitable and inclusive world underscores her significance as a catalyst for change.
Andrew Methven, Chief of Staff
Andrew is the AMAR Chief of Staff, based in the London office. His responsibilities, as AMAR grows, are to lead the Staff Management Team, provide the link to the Board, and coordinate across the AMAR family, most importantly with the Field Team in Iraq. Andrew previously worked as Strategy & Commercial Director and Bid Team Leader for various International security firms, specialising in Iraq (including the Kurdistan Region), Afghanistan and Nigeria, and maritime security in the Indian Ocean and West Africa.
Prior to this he served in the British Army (The Life Guards) for 20 years. His tours included running a Reserve officer training unit in London, and various staff roles in the Ministry of Defence. He spent a very enjoyable 16 months on exchange with the Canadian Army, most of which was spent in the Balkans. His operational service includes the UN and NATO in Bosnia, and several tours of Iraq, which was his first exposure to reconstruction, development and the people of Basra.
Andrew’s first degree was in sciences from Cambridge. He holds Masters degrees from Cranfield, KCL and Imperial College Business School. He lives in London with his young family. His hobbies include ancient Greek history and playing the piano.
Dr. Ali Jawad Iraq Operations Director
Dr. A. Jawad is an experienced medical practitioner and plays key role in driving the quality of AMAR’s work in Iraq. His medical experience is summarized below:
- Specialized Rheumatologist in AL shaheed Khaled hospital Erbil 2011-2014.
- High diploma in Rheumatology from Ternopol medical university, Ukraine 2009-2011.
- General practitioner in Baghdad and Basra 1998-2009.
- General Practitioner in Mesan 1996-1998.
- Post qualification he worked as doctor in Ibn Majed hospital in Basra.
- He graduated from the college of Medicine, University of Basra 1993.