Conceived and nourished by people just like you, SWIC was founded in 2015 at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Radnor, PA. Under the leadership of The Rev. Chris Bishop, and with the encouragement and support of the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf, and the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, we heard and responded to the cries of those in Iraq who had suffered much and yearned for a new start. Since its founding, SWIC has raised and distributed over $300,000 from a variety of sources, including individuals, dioceses and churches from multiple denominations, grants and private foundations. An invaluable partner for SWIC is St. George’s Church in Baghdad.

SWIC anticipates continuing its Family Farm Initiative (FFI) and Small Business Redevelopment Grant Program efforts well into 2025. At the same time, we intend to significantly expand our support for education in support of schools, parents, and others preparing the next crucial generation of Iraqi citizens and leaders.

While SWIC’s focus is on supporting imperiled Christian communities, our commitment is to all of the people of Iraq. We will offer friendship and resources without participating in the historic and often bitter rivalries that have beset the region for millennia. A new Iraq will depend on all of its factions finding and nurturing a common sense of humanity and national purpose.

We will never seek to drive out darkness with more darkness, nor fight hate with more hate. Rather, SWIC is committed to the long-term and sustainable building of a new, more secure, prosperous, and tolerant country for Iraq’s extraordinarily diverse peoples. This is the dream of most Iraqis.

ISIS painted ن (pronounced “noon”) as a derogatory way to refer to Christians.  ن is the 14th letter of the Arabic alphabet and the equivalent to the Roman letter N. SWIC adopted this symbol to show solidarity with the Iraqi Christians. The logo includes a rose at the top to connect back to King Faisal. He said (like flowers), “Christians bring beauty and fragrance to Iraq.”

SWIC anticipates continuing its agricultural and Small Business Redevelopment efforts well into 2025. In that same time frame, we hope to significantly expand our support for education, as schools, parents, and others prepare the next generation of Iraqi citizens and leaders.

While SWIC’s focus is on supporting imperiled Christian communities, our commitment is to all of the people of Iraq. We will offer friendship and resources without participating in the historic, ongoing, and often bitter rivalries that have beset the region for millennia. A new Iraq will depend on all of its groups finding and nurturing a common sense of humanity and national purpose. We will never seek to drive out darkness with more darkness, to fight hate with more hate. 

SWIC looks to the long-term and sustainable building of a new, more secure, prosperous, and tolerant country for Iraq’s extraordinarily diverse peoples. This is the dream of most Iraqis.

After the military defeat of ISIS in 2017, SWIC shifted its focus to supporting families returning to their ancestral homes in towns like Qaraqosh/Bakhdadi, to make a fresh start on the Nineveh Plains. Responding to conditions on the ground, we have funded crucial projects including water wells (See Water wells in Qaraqosh video), and agricultural redevelopment grants, (See Veterinarian’s Day; Family Farms videos). SWIC also helped finance school construction, as well as administration, teacher, and student support (See St. George’s SOTR and St. Efram’s Qaraqosh/Bakhdadi videos).

In 2022 SWIC began offering Small Business Redevelopment Grants to Christians who had businesses destroyed by ISIS or developed business expertise but lacked capital to restore what was taken from them. These businesses range from a bakery, to restaurants, a laundry, painting business, and other construction-related services. The initial tests are successful and we expect to provide more on-time grants into 2023.

SWIC was founded in response to catastrophic events that imperiled Iraq’s ancient Christian communities in 2014-15. Fr. Chris Bishop’s short documentary Where Is Our Place? (34 mins) graphically tells this story. From 2015-2017 SWIC addressed needs in the refugee centers in Erbil (See Ashur’s Copy Shop, Building Caravan Housing in Salemania, and Grocery Store videos).

Yet SWIC is much more than a crisis management organization.

SWIC stands alongside those who work for peace, and who want the best for Iraq and all its people.

View videos of all SWIC Projects.