In june 2018 the Internationalist Academy şehîd Hêlîn Qereçox has been inaugurated. After several months of work, we are very happy to share the pictures of all this months of work.

In September 2017 we started the building works of the first Internationalist Academy of Rojava. After checking different places, finally we started to prepare the ground for the building works. When we arrived it was just a small hill full of stones, and we were living in a tent that before was in the Newroz refugee camp. The newroz camp is the Ezidi camp, and at that they they were starting to go back to their house in Sengal, so they give to us one of the tents of their camp.

In October we started to build the first walls, learning how to build in the way the local people is used to work here. At the beginning we were thinking in doing it in the traditional way, with ‘kerpiç’ (bricks of mud), but it was more difficult, and the season of rains were to close for be able to finish on time. So we decide to make this first buildings with cement bricks, and we will try to make the next ones with the traditional mud bricks.

In November we started the first roof in the building of the academy. Also in November we started the first garden, thinking also about the sustainability of the project in a long term, and starting in this way to develop what later will become the campaign ‘Make Rojava Green Again’.

In December we continued building the roofs of the other buildings and starting to plaster the walls. We also planted the first tree, evaluating the possibilities of starting the tree cooperative as part of our ecological works.

In january we finished the last roof and continued with the plastering of the walls. We also started to build the floors of the houses, and to develop what became the campaign ‘Make Rojava Green Again’ [see the pictures here].

In February we finished the plastering of the walls and the roofs, and started to develop the canalization system, thinking in ways to recycle the gray and black water. We also worked a lot for the campaign ‘Make Rojava Green again’, building a green house, planting trees and doing shoots of other trees [pictures here].

In March we built the water depo, we installed the electricity system, and we started to build the kitchen. We also planted a lot of shoots and started to work in the vegetable gardens [pictures here].

In April we intensified our ecological works, planting more trees, opening new gardens and building a beautiful roof for our outside room [pictures here]. We also continued the inner works of the houses and finished the floor of the academy and the kitchen.

In May we finished the building works, and we started to organize the first education program of the Internationalist Academy şehîd Hêlîn Qereçox. We also continued our ecological works planting different things in our gardens [pictures here]

In june we finished the first month of education of the Internationalist academy, starting what will be a new phase for the Internationalist Commune of Rojava.

Long live international solidarity!

We, who are working here in Rojava as internationals, are part of the worldwide fight of the oppressed against the reign of state, capital and patriarchy. – șehid Hêlîn Qercox