Sara Abdullah Abdulrahman of Iraq, 21, is a rising leader from Kirkuk, Iraq and a motivated social activist working with a number of organizations and institutes on peacebuilding, child protection, and women’s rights. Sara is a leader and co-founder of Kokar—the Kirkuk based volunteer group promoting peace and community engagement. Sara’s leadership helped the young people of Kirkuk to avoid division and provides a good model to local leaders of youth engagement. Her efforts helped strengthen peaceful coexistence and allowed for the safe return of internally displaced persons. Kokar is a successful example of promoting tolerance among people with different backgrounds in one of the most difficult environments in Iraq. Currently, Kokar has more than 500 active volunteers, including 50 professionals and expands up to 1,000 youth volunteers during service events. These young people from diverse backgrounds are all unified by their desire to serve their community and promote tolerance and coexistence.
