Enishke village is located within the Diocese of Dohuk, in a mountainous region of Iraqi Kurdistan in northern Iraq. 

Christian, Kurdish and Yazidi families live in the many settlements around Enishke, struggling to survive in a climate of economic hardship, political instability and lingering insecurity.

The lack of resources and of investment from both the regional or federal governments meant that when the local parish priest, Fr Samir Yousif, visited local communities, he often found young children deprived of opportunities and a healthy upbringing. “When I was visiting the families in the past, I would find the children locked up in their house,” he explained to ACN. 

In 2013, Fr Samir started a small kindergarten in Enishke which served up to 16 children. What the Chaldean priest did not know at the time was that the whole situation in the region was about to change, with the terrorist organisation ISIS taking control of much of the nearby territory in August 2014, sending a wave of Christian, Yezidi and moderate Muslim refugees into Iraqi Kurdistan. 

After the expulsion of ISIS, he realised that much more needed to be done and made plans to build a new floor for the kindergarten, allowing it to expand its services. 

“Our goal is to create an educated, aware, and open generation and also to create peaceful coexistence among Christian, Kurdish and Yazidi children,” said Fr Samir.

ACN is one of the organisations which has supported this project as part of its overarching strategy to help the Christians in Iraq to overcome the tragedies resulting from the invasion of ISIS and to enable them to continue to live in their homelands.

In July, the Chaldean Catholic Bishop of Dohuk inaugurated the completed project, which can now take up to 100 children, directly benefitting around 90 families.

During the event, Bishop Azad Shaba expressed hope that the ACN-sponsored project might serve the whole of Iraqi society and not only Christian families. 

The new floor of the kindergarten in Enishke village was inaugurated in July 2024 and includes three classrooms, a large and well-equipped area for playing, a kitchen and sanitary facilities.

“It is well-built and secure, to be safe for our children. We are very grateful to ACN and to all donors, and God bless you,” said Fr Samir.