Jamil’s Story: A Father’s Commitment to His Children’s Future (Iraq)

“This centre has given me hope. My children are getting the support they need, and I know they will have a better future.”

Jamil, a father of six, returned to West Mosul carrying the emotional and economic weight of years spent in displacement. His journey took him and his family through Al-Hol and Al-Jada camps, spaces often associated with trauma, deprivation, and the lingering legacy of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) control.

Returning home should have marked a new beginning. Instead, Jamil faced a harsh reality: a destroyed economy, no stable income and six children whose education had been interrupted by war and displacement. The fear of failing them, of seeing another generation grow up without opportunities, was overwhelming.

Then came a phone call that changed everything. A case manager from the Iraqi Insitute for Development, one of GCERF’s civil society partners in Iraq reached out and invited Jamil to visit the organisation’s centre in Mosul. There, he learned about mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services and education support available for returnee children. Without hesitation, he enrolled all six of his children.

At IID’s centre, his children received learning materials, academic catch-up support and psychosocial assistance designed to help them rebuild confidence and reengage with learning. Through peer-to-peer activities and tailored care, they found stability and community.

For Jamil, the impact was immediate and deeply personal. Witnessing the transformation in his children, he became a vocal advocate for IID’s work, encouraging other families in his community, especially those returning from high-risk environments, to seek support.

Jamil’s story highlights the vital role of education and mental health services in preventing violent extremism (PVE) and repatriation and reintegration (R&R) programming. After years of exposure to instability and extremist environments, returnee families, particularly children, need structured, supportive spaces to regain a sense of normalcy and purpose. Education not only restores dignity but also acts as a shield against the narratives of extremist groups, which often prey on hopelessness, marginalisation, and disrupted futures.

Thanks to his own resilience and the support he found, Jamil is not only rebuilding his family’s life, he is helping to strengthen his community’s resilience to extremism.