When we speak of the Kingdom

of Saudi Arabia on its National Day, we do not speak as distant observers, nor do we offer passing words of congratulations that disappear once the occasion is over. Here at the Kurdistan Office of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth, we carry a story whose roots extend from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Iraq and Kurdistan—a story that began as a mission and, over the years, evolved into institutions, projects, and services whose impact reached people in their health, education, needs, youth

development, and future. It is a story worth telling.

The Mission Began in the Kingdom

The World Assembly of Muslim Youth was established in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1972 as an international Islamic organization dedicated to youth, developing their capabilities, and directing their energies toward serving their communities. At the same time, it sought to contribute to community development, build partnerships, support those in need, and respond to emergencies and disasters. From

Riyadh, its headquarters, this mission extended to different parts of the world.

The idea was never simply to transfer the name of an organization from one country to another. Rather, it was to carry forward a mission centered on building and serving people, while adapting that mission to the

needs and circumstances of each community.

In 1994, the Mission Reached Iraqi Kurdistan

In 1994, the Kurdistan Office of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth began its journey. At the time, the region was facing difficult circumstances, and the needs of its communities were both extensive

and diverse. From those early years, one question was clear before us: What does the person here need?

That question shaped the nature of our work. We did not want to be an institution detached from the people; we wanted to be an institution that lived among them

, listened to their needs, and identified the areas in which it could create a genuine and lasting impact.

Three Decades Among the People

Since then, more than three decades have passed, during which the World Assembly has remained present in the community through a wide range of fields.

There has been construction and reconstruction, the building of schools and mosques, water projects and well drilling, educational, cultural, and youth programs, human development and training initiatives, and relief projects responding to crises, disasters, and floods. There have also been food assistance programs and essential support for affected and vulnerable

families.

Seasonal initiatives have continued year after year, including iftar meals for those observing the fast, the distribution of sacrificial meat during Eid al-Adha, and Z

akat al-Fitr.

Yet behind every one of these projects lies a human story: a family that found someone willing to stand beside it; a young person who found an opportunity; a child who received care; and a patient who found a

door to medical treatment.

Orphans: A Responsibility That Goes Beyond Sponsorship

Among the projects that have left a profound mark on the Office’s journey is its orphan sponsorship program. Over the years, thousands of orphans have benefited from its care programs

.

Our vision was never for sponsorship to consist merely of a financial payment. An orphan needs care, education, upbringing, and social support. At times, the family also needs a livelihood project or an opportunity that can

help it move from dependency toward self-reliance.

For this reason, our aspiration has always been to move from sponsorship to empowerment, and from addressing immediate needs to building a more

stable future for both the family and the child.

Healthcare: When Assistance Becomes a Sustainable Institution

One of the experiences of which we are

particularly proud is that our healthcare work did not remain a temporary initiative. Instead, it evolved into a sustained institutional presence.

In Erbil, the WAMY Medical Complex has become an established healthcare facility serving the community across multiple medical specialties. In Duhok, the WAMY Dental Center has extended this healthcare mission into specialized dental services

.

This reflects one of the important principles of charitable and development work: the most valuable form of assistance is not always the kind that ends on the day it is distributed. Sometimes, the greatest contribution is one that becomes a lasting

institution whose doors remain open to people year after year.

Why Do We Mention the Kingdom?

Because this journey cannot be separated from the environment in

which WAMY was founded, nor from the supporters and benefactors who contributed to sustaining its mission.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been the home and headquarters of WAMY, and from there bridges of generosity and

humanitarian service have extended to numerous communities.

WAMY itself emphasizes, as part of its institutional mission, the development of young

people’s capabilities, service to communities in need, disaster response, and the strengthening of partnerships.

Therefore, when we speak of Saudi Arabia in Kurdistan, many people do not know the Kingdom solely through politics, economics, or regional news. Some have come to know another dimension of its contribution through a school, a mosque, a well, an orphan sponsorship, medical

treatment, a youth program, or assistance that arrived at a time of need.

This is humanitarian diplomacy in one of its most meaningful forms:

people come to know you through the good that reaches them.

But the Region Has Changed

After more than thirty years, the needs of Kurdistan and Iraq are no longer the same as they were in the 1990s. Society

has changed, young people have changed, the economy has changed, and technology has transformed the way people live, work, and learn.

New challenges have emerged in employment

, skills development, family life, education, healthcare, technology, artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, and social stability.

This means that humanitarian and charitable work itself must evolve. We cannot simply continue in the same way because those approaches succeeded in the past. We

must instead ask: What does today’s individual need? And what will tomorrow’s young person need?

The Region Still Needs Support—but in New Ways

The need has not disappeared, but the concept of support must

evolve.

We certainly need to continue standing alongside the poor, orphans, patients, disadvantaged families, and those affected by crises.

But alongside this, we need forms of support that build capacity.

We need quality education, vocational and technical training, youth empowerment, leadership and entrepreneurship programs, support for small businesses, stronger healthcare institutions, investment in technology, digital transformation and

artificial intelligence, and capacity-building for local institutions and civil society organizations.

Above all, we need to build people who are capable of standing on their own feet and contributing to the development of their communities

.

The region does not need only those who will help it; it needs those who will work alongside it to build its capacity

to help itself.

From Relief to Development—and from Development to Partnership

Humanitarian work has passed through many stages. During crises, relief is essential. But once conditions stabilize, development should begin. After development comes empowerment, and after

empowerment comes partnership.

This is the transformation we aspire to achieve in the next phase of WAMY’s work in Kurdistan and Iraq:

• From beneficiary to partner.
• From assistance to opportunity.
• From a temporary project to a sustainable institution.
• From financial expenditure to measurable impact.
• From a relationship between donor and beneficiary to a relationship between partners who create positive change together.

Young People at the Heart of the Next Phase

If there is one area that deserves to be placed at the forefront of our priorities, it is youth.

Iraq and Kurdistan possess a large and dynamic young population. These young people do not want us merely to talk about the future; they want to be part

of shaping it.

They need knowledge, skills, opportunities, guidance, confidence,

and an environment that embraces their ideas.

Here, the needs of the region converge with the very essence of the mission of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth. Its name itself carries the central focus

: youth.

The next phase, therefore, should involve greater investment in young people, a closer engagement with their questions and aspirations

, and a stronger capacity to prepare them for a rapidly changing world.

What We Need from the Kingdom Today

After these decades of partnership, our

aspirations go beyond the continuation of traditional forms of support, important as they are.

We look forward to broader development partnerships, the exchange of expertise, joint youth programs, training and capacity-building, cooperation in healthcare and education

, and greater access to Saudi expertise in management, technology, institutional transformation, and entrepreneurship.

We also hope to build stronger bridges between Saudi institutions and

their counterparts in Iraq and Kurdistan.

The most meaningful continuation of generosity is to move beyond financing projects

toward transferring knowledge and expertise and building lasting capacity.

Thirty Years Is Not the End of the Story

When we look back at WAMY’s journey in Kurdistan since 1994, we do not want history to become merely an occasion for celebrating the past

.

The past is a responsibility.

Every successful project places a new question before us: What comes next?

If we served people yesterday, how can we serve them today?

If we supported a young person, how can we help that young

person become a leader?

If we assisted a family, how can we empower it?

If we established an institution, how can we make it more effective and

sustainable?

And if we built bridges between the Kingdom and Kurdistan, how can we transform those bridges into partnerships for future generations?

A Final Word

From the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the mission of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth began more than half a century ago. In 1994, that mission reached Iraqi Kurdistan. Since then, many things

have changed, but one principle has remained constant: people are the ultimate purpose—to serve them when they are in need, educate them when they seek knowledge, care for them when they are vulnerable, empower them when they are able, and open pathways for them to become contributors to the

good themselves.

On the National Day of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, our message from Kurdistan is not merely a word of congratulations. It is an expression of loyalty to the past, gratitude to those who have given, responsibility toward those we serve, and a vision for deeper partnership in the

years ahead.

We want the bridges of goodwill between the Kingdom, Iraq, and Kurdistan to continue. But in the next phase, we want these bridges to be

built on greater knowledge, greater specialization, greater sustainability, and greater investment in youth and human development.

After more than three decades of work in Kurd

istan, we have learned that the greatest project an institution can fund is neither a building nor a temporary program.

The greatest project is the human being.

When people are properly empowered and developed, they can build a nation,

strengthen a society, and create an impact that extends across generations.

From the Kingdom, the mission began.
In Kurdistan, it created an impact.
Through partnership, we seek to build the future.