Sultan

“I believe in transcending the lives of people through education, I want to make a change through teaching; teaching to me is not merely helping students academically, but supporting and building individuals to act in life,” says Sultan.

Sultan and his family had to flee Sinuni in 2014 and have lived in Khanke internally displaced person’s camp in northern Iraq, ever since. Despite the challenging circumstances, Sultan excelled in his studies, became the top student at his school, and pursued his dream of becoming a teacher as well as his passion for the English language.

He opened a book shop, taught at his former high school, and is now an English Teacher and Coordinator at the Harman Educational Centre of Our Bridge.

 “I wanted to advance my teaching methods and was sure that I would be trained by a unique staff from German universities and obtain a professional certificate,” he says of his motivation to join the Learning Facilitator and then the Educational Innovation and Leadership programme, accredited by the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt.

Knowledge gained through these studies has been practical and “greatly impacted” his teaching methods. The opportunity to interact with fellow JWL students from other community learning centres around the world has also added to the experience: “It is useful to get to know other cultures through the people and be aware of other communities, education, lifestyle, etc. It is helpful because I feel that we have a common goal and intend to make a change in our communities through education.”

Now about to complete the Educational Innovation and Leadership programme, Sultan feels “filled with a fantastic sense of accomplishment. Completing this from such a prestigious university in Germany feels like a true privilege.”

What next? Sultan highlgihts some of the multiple challenges faced by his community in Sinjar, including unemployment, inadequate infrastructure and community services, including in the health and education sectors: “To address these educational issues, I plan to open an education centre for children (kindgergarten), offer enrichment courses, and provide literacy course for illiterate individuals.”