Abbas is from the city of Sulaymaniyah in Kurdistan (Northern Iraq). He has spent the last four years working for nonprofit organizations and is very passionate about social justice, equal rights, reproductive rights, and community building. He grew increasingly interested in activism and advocacy after he volunteered at a refugee camp and felt the deep need to give back to others in difficult situations.
Abbas first heard about Preemptive Love through the church he is a part of, and quickly fell in love with the organization.
“I believe Preemptive Love is a place of belonging where people of different backgrounds, religions, ethnicities, and sexualities are all connected by our common goal of stopping the spread of violence and ending war.”
The message of “love anyway” resonates deeply with him. In his role on the Member Recruitment Team, he would love to share the stories of the wonderful friends we are helping with you!
Outside of work, his interests include poetry, writing, art, philosophy, and video games.
Dalia was born in Baghdad, Iraq, and was only 8 years old when the US-led coalition started a war against her country. She notes: “I’m glad I don’t have a lot of memories from back then, maybe because my parents were always doing their best to provide an optimistic environment for my siblings and me. However, there is one memory that always comes to mind from when I was 10. My dad was out of the country and I was sleeping next to my mom when a bomb hit near our house. All I remember was my mom waking up and rushing to the window, then rushing to check on all of us children. I’m 27 now and all I can think is that no child should live in that kind of fear and violence.”
Dalia’s family moved to the Kurdistan region when she was 16 and found it to be a safer place. “It was at that time that I realized I deserved a better childhood. Being a part of Preemptive Love makes me feel so blessed because it gives me hope for a brighter and more peaceful future! Also, I love having the opportunity to represent the voices of people impacted by war, and to let donors know how they have the chance to rebuild lives. This is one of the reasons that makes me smile every day.
My dream now is to reach the children living in war, to show them hope, and help them to build their future.”
Deako was born and raised in the beautiful city of Sulaymaniyah which is located in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. He graduated from the American University of Iraq – Sulaymaniyah. Although Deako was interested in business-related fields at first, he decided to major in mechanical engineering since it was close to another love of his, robotics.
“I was born amid an economic crisis; most people were going through financial difficulties, just as my family was. I remember that we would receive aid from multiple organizations and I believe those hard times have shaped me into the person I am today. Fast forward twenty years and now we are living comfortably. Hence, I believe that I owe my community and I would like to give back to it. It has been a great experience working with a non-profit organization. I am very much looking forward to continuing to work here at Preemptive Love and helping as many people and communities as possible.”
Saba was born in Baghdad but now lives in her favorite place, Sulaymaniyah. “I believe each of us should live up to the meaning of our names. The meaning of my name is ‘fresh air during sunrise’, so I have always wanted to be that air in people’s lives. I try to take any opportunity to serve people around me and my society, so I applied to work for Preemptive Love because I found it suits my passion.”
Saba studied accounting, which she didn’t like initially, but then found she enjoyed solving accounting equations. That experience taught her that every journey has its tests. She reflects that no matter how difficult things may seem, there is a lesson to be learned.
“What makes working at Preemptive Love unique is working with people from different backgrounds, who all share the same goal.”
Sara is a recent graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine and lives in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. “Studying the care of animals has taught me how to love without expecting anything back in return and the value of unconditional love. These lessons also led me to find myself in the humanitarian field. I’m a member of Preemptive Love’s recruitment team here in Iraq. I’ve been living in Sulaymaniyah for the past 6 years now and it’s fair to say that I can’t find the exact words to describe my love for this city.”
Sara is very passionate about human rights and providing equal opportunities for people of all genders, sexualities, races, religions, and statuses. “What I love about working for Preemptive Love is that it has provided an environment that lives up to my beliefs. Our goal here at Preemptive Love is very simple: “Love Anyway”. This philosophy has gathered together me and my colleagues because we all share a drive to give back to a community we love, appreciate, and want to improve.”
