Language is identity, agency, and access to knowledge. At Jawtana, we develop and promote local languages so communities can unlock information, preserve their identity, and have a voice in public life. Global experience shows that mother tongues carry cultural memory and wisdom; learning in one’s language enhances understanding and confidence. By creating knowledge and providing learning in Kurdish and other local dialects, we empower people to learn and share knowledge in the language they understand best. This improves learning outcomes and ensures no one is left behind linguistically. Our commitment to linguistic empowerment directly aligns with our mission: when people can speak, read, and write in their native language, they fully participate in society and shape their futures.

Jawtana believes knowledge and learning must be inclusive and equitable. We ensure language and education resources are accessible to all, regardless of location or background. This means tailoring programs to reach women, youth, displaced people, and other underserved groups, giving everyone an equal chance to benefit. Our approach echoes UNESCO’s emphasis that education in one’s mother tongue lays the foundation for equitable and inclusive learning. Whether through multilingual textbooks, community libraries, or digital content, we break down economic, linguistic, and social barriers. By championing equality and inclusion, we support Kurdistan’s broader vision of a just society where every voice is heard and everyone succeeds.

Language is the thread that weaves together culture, history, and identity. Thus, preserving local languages preserves Kurdistan’s rich cultural heritage. Jawtana is deeply committed to safeguarding oral traditions, folklore, and community knowledge, documenting them for future generations. We recognise that when a language fades, so does a wealth of cultural memory and wisdom. To prevent this, our projects record elders’ stories, support local writers and poets, and integrate traditional knowledge (from proverbs to folk songs) into educational content. As UNESCO notes, mother languages are carriers of values and knowledge, crucial for transmitting intangible heritage. By revitalising endangered Kurdish dialects and highlighting indigenous narratives, we honour our past while strengthening cultural pride in the present. This value aligns with our vision of a future where development celebrates heritage, ensuring modern progress flows from timeless cultural roots.

To amplify our impact, Jawtana embraces innovation and technology. We harness digital platforms, mobile apps, and AI-assisted tools to expand access to language, knowledge, and education widely available. Technology allows us to scale participation and reach communities even in remote areas. Global trends show that information and communication technologies dramatically enhance learning opportunities and broaden access to diverse linguistic content. For example, a smartphone app can bring a library of Kurdish children’s stories to a village with no physical library, or speech-to-text AI can help document oral histories swiftly. Innovation also makes learning interactive and engaging, inspiring youth to connect with their language and culture through media they love. We continuously explore new ideas (like hackathons for language preservation or virtual reality for cultural immersion) to keep our initiatives adaptable and future-ready. By marrying heritage with technology, Jawtana ensures our values stay relevant in the 21st century, and that progress in Kurdistan is driven by creativity and smart solutions.

Meaningful change cannot happen in isolation. Jawtana works hand-in-hand with a diverse network of partners, from government agencies and schools to NGOs, universities, experts, and many more, both locally and internationally. This spirit of collaboration means co-creating solutions with the community, not imposing them. We convene stakeholders across sectors to share insights and resources, recognising that complex issues like language revival, knowledge curation, or the provision of education require collective effort. Such partnerships lead to holistic and well-rounded programs: for instance, a language curriculum developed with local teachers, tech experts, and cultural historians will be both pedagogically sound and culturally relevant. Experts emphasise that engaging policymakers, researchers, and indigenous communities together is essential for sustaining language preservation efforts. Jawtana embodies this value by fostering trust and synergy among all actors. Whether joining a regional knowledge network or supporting a grassroots cultural initiative, we believe in building bridges. Through collaboration and partnership, we amplify impact and ensure our work carries the collective wisdom and support of many. Together, we go further, creating community-driven change. We believe no single organisation could achieve meaningful results alone.

We view language, knowledge, and learning as strategic pillars for sustainable, long-term development in Kurdistan. This means our initiatives are designed not just for immediate results, but for enduring impact across cultural, social, environmental, technological, and economic dimensions. Education and knowledge empower people with skills to improve their livelihoods, engage in civic life, and innovate solutions to local challenges. Supporting multilingual education and indigenous knowledge can directly contribute to sustainable development by preserving traditional environmental wisdom and fostering climate resilience. Jawtana’s value of sustainability is reflected in how we plan projects: we train local facilitators, build community ownership, and align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We also integrate content on environmental stewardship and social justice into our learning materials, linking language preservation with broader sustainable practices. Ultimately, our goal is lasting positive change. We measure success not only by short-term outputs but by long-term outcomes (communities that are more resilient, knowledgeable, and capable of self-driven development). By grounding our work in sustainability, we ensure that Jawtana’s efforts today lay the foundation for a thriving, culturally rich, and progressive Kurdistan of tomorrow.

At the core of Jawtana’s operations lies a deep commitment to integrity, transparency, and ethical practice. We hold ourselves accountable to our partners, ensuring our projects are conducted with honesty and respect for the communities we serve. Integrity means we are guided by what is right (prioritising community needs over convenience or recognition, and carefully stewarding any resources entrusted to us). Hand in hand with integrity is openness: we believe in being open-minded and inclusive in decision-making, and transparent about our processes and learnings. In the spirit of open knowledge, we share our research, data, and materials freely so others can benefit and contribute. This approach aligns with the idea that in true knowledge societies, a spirit of sharing and collaboration flourishes alongside values like openness and curiosity. We create feedback loops with community members, invite critique, and adapt based on what we learn. Moreover, openness for us extends to embracing diversity of ideas and perspectives (within our team and among stakeholders). By cultivating integrity and openness, Jawtana builds trust (the trust of the community, without which our mission could not succeed). This trust is the bedrock that allows all our other values to thrive, enabling a just and transparent pursuit of our vision.

Our approach places communities in the driver’s seat of change. We don’t see people as passive recipients of aid, but as active partners with insight into their challenges and solutions. From needs assessment to project design and implementation, we empower local communities to take the lead. This value echoes the philosophy of community-led development, a bottom-up model where community members identify their needs, design solutions, and carry out projects themselves. What does this look like in practice? For Jawtana, it means a village might define the priorities for a literacy program (perhaps focusing on agricultural knowledge if that’s vital locally), form a committee to help manage it, and even contribute resources (time, local materials, wisdom) to make it successful. We facilitate training and provide support, but ultimately the community steers the initiative, ensuring it is culturally appropriate and locally owned. This approach leads to greater relevance and sustainability: when people design their solutions, they are more invested in maintaining them. We have seen firsthand that community-led projects foster pride and unity (a village that created its community library, for instance, not only gained a resource but also a sense of collective accomplishment). Jawtana champions this value because we are convinced that lasting progress grows from the grassroots. By trusting communities and building their capacity to drive change, we help lay the groundwork for self-sustained development and resilient local leadership.

Education is empowerment (it builds the human capacity required for communities to stand on their own feet and shape their destiny). Therefore, Jawtana heavily invests in learning and capacity building at every level: individual learners (children and adults improving their literacy and skills), organisations (training local NGOs, libraries, and schools to deliver quality programs), and society at large (advocating for policies that strengthen the educational ecosystem). Each project is an opportunity not just to deliver knowledge but to transfer skills and nurture leadership. For example, when we set up a digital learning hub, we also train local youth to manage it and create content, thereby cultivating local expertise. This commitment aligns with the global understanding that equipping people with knowledge and skills today is an investment in a more resilient, capable society tomorrow. Even beyond formal training, we foster a culture of continuous learning (within our team and with partners) so that we constantly improve and innovate. We also emphasise learning from failure and success alike, openly sharing what we’ve learned so others can build on it. By bolstering capacity, Jawtana ensures that the impacts of our work multiply over time: teachers we train go on to train others, local writers we mentor produce new educational content, and communities we empower become mentors to neighbouring villages. In essence, this value is about planting seeds that grow far beyond our direct reach. Knowledge is the one resource that only increases when shared, and by building capacity, we aim to spark a virtuous cycle of growth, resilience, and self-reliance across Kurdistan.

Finally, Jawtana staunchly supports open access to knowledge. We believe that knowledge (whether in the form of books, research, or digital content) is a public good that should be freely available to all. Our initiatives promote open, participatory learning systems: for instance, we publish educational resources under open licenses, create community archives that anyone can contribute to or use, and advocate for libraries and online platforms that remove barriers to information. This value stems from our conviction that the more knowledge is shared, the greater the benefits society derives. Indeed, making knowledge open and accessible to everyone (in their language) fuels creativity, innovation, and informed citizenship. As one UNESCO perspective notes, universal access to information and knowledge (without discrimination) is a pillar of building inclusive knowledge societies, and content in the public domain greatly contributes to human development. In practical terms, open access means a student in a remote Kurdish village can download quality textbooks for free; a farmer can access an open-source database of agricultural advice in Kurdish; or a researcher can read scientific articles without paywalls. It also means inviting the public to participate in knowledge creation (such as crowdsourcing translations or oral history records), thereby democratising whose knowledge is valued. By championing open access, Jawtana works toward a future where knowledge flows freely across Kurdistan, empowering everyone to learn, innovate, and solve problems collaboratively. This openness underpins our mission and ties all our values together, because when knowledge is open to all, opportunity is open to all.