Library Library
Search

Kurdipedia is the largest multilingual sources for Kurdish information!


Search Options





Advanced Search      Keyboard


Search
Advanced Search
Library
Kurdish names
Chronology of events
Sources
History
User Favorites
Activities
Search Help?
Publication
Video
Classifications
Random item!
Send
Send Article
Send Image
Survey
Your feedback
Contact
What kind of information do we need!
Standards
Terms of Use
Item Quality
Tools
About
Kurdipedia Archivists
Articles about us!
Add Kurdipedia to your website
Add / Delete Email
Visitors statistics
Item statistics
Fonts Converter
Calendars Converter
Spell Check
Languages and dialects of the pages
Keyboard
Handy links
Kurdipedia extension for Google Chrome
Cookies
Languages
کوردیی ناوەڕاست
کرمانجی
Kurmancî
هەورامی
Zazakî
English
Français
Deutsch
عربي
فارسی
Türkçe
Nederlands
Svenska
Español
Italiano
עברית
Pусский
Fins
Norsk
日本人
中国的
Հայերեն
Ελληνική
لەکی
Azərbaycanca
My account
Sign In
Membership!
Forgot your password!
Search Send Tools Languages My account
Advanced Search
Library
Kurdish names
Chronology of events
Sources
History
User Favorites
Activities
Search Help?
Publication
Video
Classifications
Random item!
Send Article
Send Image
Survey
Your feedback
Contact
What kind of information do we need!
Standards
Terms of Use
Item Quality
About
Kurdipedia Archivists
Articles about us!
Add Kurdipedia to your website
Add / Delete Email
Visitors statistics
Item statistics
Fonts Converter
Calendars Converter
Spell Check
Languages and dialects of the pages
Keyboard
Handy links
Kurdipedia extension for Google Chrome
Cookies
کوردیی ناوەڕاست
کرمانجی
Kurmancî
هەورامی
Zazakî
English
Français
Deutsch
عربي
فارسی
Türkçe
Nederlands
Svenska
Español
Italiano
עברית
Pусский
Fins
Norsk
日本人
中国的
Հայերեն
Ελληνική
لەکی
Azərbaycanca
Sign In
Membership!
Forgot your password!
        
 kurdipedia.org 2008 - 2024
 About
 Random item!
 Terms of Use
 Kurdipedia Archivists
 Your feedback
 User Favorites
 Chronology of events
 Activities - Kurdipedia
 Help
New Item
Biography
Haval Hussein Saeed
27-09-2024
Hazhar Kamala
Library
Election Repot local elections turkye March 31 2024
27-09-2024
Hazhar Kamala
Library
The Political Thought of Abdullah Öcalan
26-09-2024
Hazhar Kamala
Library
Constructing Kurdistan: Cross-Border Kurdish Relations and Ethnic IdentityEthnic Identity
26-09-2024
Hazhar Kamala
Library
Kurdish Elites: State, Identity, and Citizenship
26-09-2024
Hazhar Kamala
Library
Kurdish aspirations and the interests of the UK
17-09-2024
Hazhar Kamala
Biography
Zehra Doğan
16-09-2024
Hazhar Kamala
Library
THE KURDS IN ERDOG˘ AN’S TURKEY
15-09-2024
Hazhar Kamala
Library
Constructing Kurdistan: Cross-Border Kurdish Relations and Ethnic IdentityEthnic Identit
11-09-2024
Hazhar Kamala
Library
“The Reality of Intra-Kurdish Rivalry Undermines the Notion of Pan- Kurdish Nationalism”
11-09-2024
Hazhar Kamala
Statistics
Articles
  538,748
Images
  110,170
Books
  20,278
Related files
  104,043
Video
  1,549
Language
کوردیی ناوەڕاست - Central Kurdish 
306,649
Kurmancî - Upper Kurdish (Latin) 
90,065
هەورامی - Kurdish Hawrami 
66,036
عربي - Arabic 
30,818
کرمانجی - Upper Kurdish (Arami) 
18,297
فارسی - Farsi 
9,934
English - English 
7,581
Türkçe - Turkish 
3,669
Deutsch - German 
1,711
لوڕی - Kurdish Luri 
1,690
Pусский - Russian 
1,140
Français - French 
348
Nederlands - Dutch 
130
Zazakî - Kurdish Zazaki 
91
Svenska - Swedish 
72
Español - Spanish 
55
Polski - Polish 
55
Հայերեն - Armenian 
52
Italiano - Italian 
52
لەکی - Kurdish Laki 
37
Azərbaycanca - Azerbaijani 
27
日本人 - Japanese 
21
中国的 - Chinese 
20
Norsk - Norwegian 
18
Ελληνική - Greek 
16
עברית - Hebrew 
16
Fins - Finnish 
12
Português - Portuguese 
10
Тоҷикӣ - Tajik 
9
Ozbek - Uzbek 
7
Esperanto - Esperanto 
6
Catalana - Catalana 
6
Čeština - Czech 
5
ქართველი - Georgian 
5
Srpski - Serbian 
4
Kiswahili سَوَاحِلي -  
3
Hrvatski - Croatian 
3
балгарская - Bulgarian 
2
हिन्दी - Hindi 
2
Lietuvių - Lithuanian 
2
қазақ - Kazakh 
1
Cebuano - Cebuano 
1
ترکمانی - Turkman (Arami Script) 
1
Group
English
Biography 
3,155
Articles 
1,954
Library 
1,915
Documents 
177
Image and Description 
77
Martyrs 
64
Publications 
49
Archaeological places 
44
Parties & Organizations 
36
Maps 
26
Genocide 
21
Clan - the tribe - the sect 
18
Artworks 
17
Places 
9
Statistics and Surveys 
5
Miscellaneous 
4
Video 
2
Offices 
2
Poem 
2
Womens Issues 
1
Environment of Kurdistan 
1
Dates & Events 
1
Quotes and Phrases 
1
Repository
MP3 
324
PDF 
31,401
MP4 
2,547
IMG 
201,629
∑   Total 
235,901
Content search
Biography
Hasret Gültekin
Archaeological places
Hassoun Caves
Articles
Wecker: Germany is complici...
Biography
Lisa Calan
Library
38 Years of Armed Struggle ...
From shoe polisher to business owner: A Kurdish diaspora success story
Due to Kurdipedia, you know what happened on each day of our calendar!
Group: Articles | Articles language: English - English
Share
Facebook0
Twitter0
Telegram0
LinkedIn0
WhatsApp0
Viber0
SMS0
Facebook Messenger0
E-Mail0
Copy Link0
Ranking item
Excellent
Very good
Average
Poor
Bad
Add to my favorites
Write your comment about this item!
Items history
Metadata
RSS
Search in Google for images related to the selected item!
Search in Google for selected item!
کوردیی ناوەڕاست - Central Kurdish0
Kurmancî - Upper Kurdish (Latin)0
عربي - Arabic0
فارسی - Farsi0
Türkçe - Turkish0
עברית - Hebrew0
Deutsch - German0
Español - Spanish0
Français - French0
Italiano - Italian0
Nederlands - Dutch0
Svenska - Swedish0
Ελληνική - Greek0
Azərbaycanca - Azerbaijani0
Catalana - Catalana0
Čeština - Czech0
Esperanto - Esperanto0
Fins - Finnish0
Hrvatski - Croatian0
Lietuvių - Lithuanian0
Norsk - Norwegian0
Ozbek - Uzbek0
Polski - Polish0
Português - Portuguese0
Pусский - Russian0
Srpski - Serbian0
балгарская - Bulgarian0
қазақ - Kazakh0
Тоҷикӣ - Tajik0
Հայերեն - Armenian0
हिन्दी - Hindi0
ქართველი - Georgian0
中国的 - Chinese0
日本人 - Japanese0

Karwan Akray

Karwan Akray
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Karwan Akrayi was only 11 years old when he led his younger siblings on an uncertain journey from the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province to Germany’s port city of Kiel. There, he has been able to create a success story, starting from shoveling snow to owning multiple businesses in the city.
Karwan, the eldest of six siblings, was born in Duhok’s Akre in 1984. His father migrated to Europe in 1992 without his family, but planned to receive them in Greece in 1994. He recounted his story to Rudaw’s Hemen Abdulla on Tuesday.
While attempting to cross the Iraq-Turkey border at Zakho’s Ibrahim Khalil point, Karwan’s mother and one of his sisters were killed by Turkish soldiers, preventing their entry into the country. Reluctantly, they returned to Akre, while their father decided to stay in Greece and wait for their next opportunity.
“We were trying to get out of Kurdistan [Region] when we were shot on the border of Turkey. The Turks shot us. That night, August 23, 1994 my mother and my sister were killed along with several other people,” said Karwan, fighting back the tears.
With his mother killed, and his father abroad, 11-year-old Karwan was now responsible for providing for his remaining four siblings. Polishing shoes, and selling popsicles and cucumbers, he was doing any job he could get his hands on to put food on the table for his brothers and sisters.
“When we returned to Kurdistan, we had no one. No father and no mother, which could be quite difficult for a child. From then on, a difficult life and great responsibility were put on my shoulders. How am I supposed to raise those children? An 11-year-old with four brothers and sisters, and no mother and father… but I always had hope”
Awni Akrayi, Karwan’s father, says he has always enjoyed a great relationship with his son, and the two always consult each other if they are ever uncertain about anything.
“I have never treated him like a son. I have always treated him as a friend. He has been my friend,” said Awni.
After saving up for months, and with some financial aid from their father, Karwan and his siblings were able to give the borders one more try. They arrived in Turkey, and from there traveled to Greece where they reunited with their father, and then collectively headed to Germany, where they have been residing in the city of Kiel in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1995.
After arriving in Kiel, Karwan started to pursue an education once again, after having dropped out of school in the Kurdistan Region to take care of his siblings. Paying for his tuition meant that Karwan would need to start working again, and that was when he bought a snow shovel and started clearing snow-covered roads for money. He was able to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in engineering.
After finishing university, Karwan steered away from engineering and started his own business: a cleaning service firm named “KIAN”. The firm currently employs around 320 employees, mostly Kurds and is often hired by the Schleswig-Holstein government to clean up military sites, police stations, and hospitals, according to Karwan.
“Kian is a traditional Kurdish name meaning future, and it is also the name of my son.”
In addition to KIAN, Karwan has also founded a security company, providing protection during special events, and is also the founder of FC Azadi Kiel - a football team made up entirely of Kurdish players, currently active in the low-tier German regional league Kreisklasse A.
Despite his successes, Karwan has not forgotten his humble beginnings and always seeks to give back to the community in any way he can, especially helping families of people killed in conflict in Akre and other parts of the Region.
“To this day, I continue my work in Akre. During Ramadan, I distribute foodstuff, and during winter I distribute 20 to 30 thousand liters of oil to families in need, and families of martyrs,” said Karwan, passionately stating “Those martyrs spilled their blood for us, to create us… We must not forget them. They gave their lives for the Kurdish cause, for this land, for this country.”
Karwan says his lack of parental presence when he was younger has made him especially sympathetic towards children of “martyrs”, as he knows how it feels to want to celebrate Eid and other celebrations with your family and loved ones, but not being able to do so.
“When Eid came around, after my mother’s tragedy and my father not being around, seeing kids dressing up and going to their parents, and then I look at myself and I have no one. That was very difficult for me… I still remain with that feeling.”
Karwan says that his team distributed Eid clothes for around 650 kids of martyrs families this year.
In addition to helping kids in the Kurdistan Region, Karwan believes it is also important to help Kurdish kids in Germany by teaching them the nation’s language and culture. The businessman says that he has brought in Kurdish teachers to teach the children the alphabet in a “small school” inside the mosque he built in Kiel, adding that they have around 100 students between the ages of six to 18.
“The kids here, when they go back to Kurdistan, they should be able to read what is on the signs. Be able to read the word “Kurdistan” and at least know what Kurdistan is, what Erbil, Akre, and Rawanduz are. They should know Kurdish so they can read history, a Kurdish book.”
Owning multiple businesses, running a football club, helping kids in need, yet Karwan still maintains the same humble spirit he had the day he arrived in Kiel, still holding on to that one snow shovel that started his incredible journey.
“This shovel is 13 years old. I have kept until now… The KIAN that I founded and many KIANs that followed all started from this.” [1]

Kurdipedia is not responsible for the content of this item. We recorded it for archival purposes.
This item has been viewed 1,196 times
Write your comment about this item!
HashTag
Sources
[1] Website | کوردیی ناوەڕاست | www.rudaw.net
Linked items: 4
Group: Articles
Articles language: English
Publication date: 28-05-2022 (2 Year)
Content category: Biography
Content category: Articles & Interviews
Document Type: Original language
Language - Dialect: English
Technical Metadata
Item Quality: 95%
95%
Added by ( Hazhar Kamala ) on 11-06-2022
This article has been reviewed and released by ( Hawreh Bakhawan ) on 11-06-2022
This item recently updated by ( Hawreh Bakhawan ) on: 11-06-2022
Title
This item according to Kurdipedia's Standards is not finalized yet!
This item has been viewed 1,196 times
Attached files - Version
Type Version Editor Name
Photo file 1.0.128 KB 11-06-2022 Hazhar KamalaH.K.
Kurdipedia is the largest multilingual sources for Kurdish information!
Articles
How and Why the Peace Process in Turkey Impaired?
Image and Description
A Kurdish army in Istanbul to participate in the Battle of the Dardanelles in 1918
Biography
Rez Gardi
Archaeological places
Shemzinan Bridge
Archaeological places
The tomb of the historian Marduk Kurdistani
Biography
Raman Salah
Image and Description
AN EXAMPLE OF BAATHS SOCIALISM AND DEMOCRACY IN KURDISTAN OF IRAQ
Articles
PALOU FREIRE EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND POSSIBILITY OF USING IT IN KURDISTAN REGION OF IRAQI EDUCATION
Articles
Effects of the Facebook Boycott Campaign on Turkish Products and its Influence on Demand of Kurdish Consumers 2020
Image and Description
The Kurdish Quarter, which is located at the bottom of Mount Canaan in Safed, Palestine in 1946
Biography
Jasmin Moghbeli
Articles
Critical Thinking in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq Schools: A Case Study of Two Prominent Schools in Erbil
Biography
Zeynep Kaya
Archaeological places
Cendera Bridge
Biography
Hanifi Baris
Image and Description
Picture of Kurdish school children, Halabja in south Kurdistan 1965
Biography
Hafiz Akdemir
Library
Kurdish Elites: State, Identity, and Citizenship
Biography
Lisa Calan
Archaeological places
Mosque (Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi) in the city of Faraqin
Biography
Haval Hussein Saeed
Library
The Political Thought of Abdullah Öcalan
Library
Constructing Kurdistan: Cross-Border Kurdish Relations and Ethnic IdentityEthnic Identity
Articles
Re-thinking Sectarianism and Geopolitics in the Middle East: Theo-political Context, Sectarian Identity and Regional Order
Image and Description
Kurdish Jews from Mahabad (Saujbulak), Kurdistan, 1910
Library
Kurdish aspirations and the interests of the UK
Biography
Hardawan Mahmoud Kakashekh
Archaeological places
Hassoun Caves
Biography
Shilan Fuad Hussain
Library
Election Repot local elections turkye March 31 2024

Actual
Biography
Hasret Gültekin
07-05-2022
Hazhar Kamala
Hasret Gültekin
Archaeological places
Hassoun Caves
14-06-2023
Vazhan Kshto
Hassoun Caves
Articles
Wecker: Germany is complicit in Turkey’s war against the Kurds
22-11-2023
Hazhar Kamala
Wecker: Germany is complicit in Turkey’s war against the Kurds
Biography
Lisa Calan
04-08-2024
Hazhar Kamala
Lisa Calan
Library
38 Years of Armed Struggle of the PKK in Kurdistan
05-09-2024
Hazhar Kamala
38 Years of Armed Struggle of the PKK in Kurdistan
New Item
Biography
Haval Hussein Saeed
27-09-2024
Hazhar Kamala
Library
Election Repot local elections turkye March 31 2024
27-09-2024
Hazhar Kamala
Library
The Political Thought of Abdullah Öcalan
26-09-2024
Hazhar Kamala
Library
Constructing Kurdistan: Cross-Border Kurdish Relations and Ethnic IdentityEthnic Identity
26-09-2024
Hazhar Kamala
Library
Kurdish Elites: State, Identity, and Citizenship
26-09-2024
Hazhar Kamala
Library
Kurdish aspirations and the interests of the UK
17-09-2024
Hazhar Kamala
Biography
Zehra Doğan
16-09-2024
Hazhar Kamala
Library
THE KURDS IN ERDOG˘ AN’S TURKEY
15-09-2024
Hazhar Kamala
Library
Constructing Kurdistan: Cross-Border Kurdish Relations and Ethnic IdentityEthnic Identit
11-09-2024
Hazhar Kamala
Library
“The Reality of Intra-Kurdish Rivalry Undermines the Notion of Pan- Kurdish Nationalism”
11-09-2024
Hazhar Kamala
Statistics
Articles
  538,748
Images
  110,170
Books
  20,278
Related files
  104,043
Video
  1,549
Language
کوردیی ناوەڕاست - Central Kurdish 
306,649
Kurmancî - Upper Kurdish (Latin) 
90,065
هەورامی - Kurdish Hawrami 
66,036
عربي - Arabic 
30,818
کرمانجی - Upper Kurdish (Arami) 
18,297
فارسی - Farsi 
9,934
English - English 
7,581
Türkçe - Turkish 
3,669
Deutsch - German 
1,711
لوڕی - Kurdish Luri 
1,690
Pусский - Russian 
1,140
Français - French 
348
Nederlands - Dutch 
130
Zazakî - Kurdish Zazaki 
91
Svenska - Swedish 
72
Español - Spanish 
55
Polski - Polish 
55
Հայերեն - Armenian 
52
Italiano - Italian 
52
لەکی - Kurdish Laki 
37
Azərbaycanca - Azerbaijani 
27
日本人 - Japanese 
21
中国的 - Chinese 
20
Norsk - Norwegian 
18
Ελληνική - Greek 
16
עברית - Hebrew 
16
Fins - Finnish 
12
Português - Portuguese 
10
Тоҷикӣ - Tajik 
9
Ozbek - Uzbek 
7
Esperanto - Esperanto 
6
Catalana - Catalana 
6
Čeština - Czech 
5
ქართველი - Georgian 
5
Srpski - Serbian 
4
Kiswahili سَوَاحِلي -  
3
Hrvatski - Croatian 
3
балгарская - Bulgarian 
2
हिन्दी - Hindi 
2
Lietuvių - Lithuanian 
2
қазақ - Kazakh 
1
Cebuano - Cebuano 
1
ترکمانی - Turkman (Arami Script) 
1
Group
English
Biography 
3,155
Articles 
1,954
Library 
1,915
Documents 
177
Image and Description 
77
Martyrs 
64
Publications 
49
Archaeological places 
44
Parties & Organizations 
36
Maps 
26
Genocide 
21
Clan - the tribe - the sect 
18
Artworks 
17
Places 
9
Statistics and Surveys 
5
Miscellaneous 
4
Video 
2
Offices 
2
Poem 
2
Womens Issues 
1
Environment of Kurdistan 
1
Dates & Events 
1
Quotes and Phrases 
1
Repository
MP3 
324
PDF 
31,401
MP4 
2,547
IMG 
201,629
∑   Total 
235,901
Content search
Kurdipedia is the largest multilingual sources for Kurdish information!
Articles
How and Why the Peace Process in Turkey Impaired?
Image and Description
A Kurdish army in Istanbul to participate in the Battle of the Dardanelles in 1918
Biography
Rez Gardi
Archaeological places
Shemzinan Bridge
Archaeological places
The tomb of the historian Marduk Kurdistani
Biography
Raman Salah
Image and Description
AN EXAMPLE OF BAATHS SOCIALISM AND DEMOCRACY IN KURDISTAN OF IRAQ
Articles
PALOU FREIRE EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND POSSIBILITY OF USING IT IN KURDISTAN REGION OF IRAQI EDUCATION
Articles
Effects of the Facebook Boycott Campaign on Turkish Products and its Influence on Demand of Kurdish Consumers 2020
Image and Description
The Kurdish Quarter, which is located at the bottom of Mount Canaan in Safed, Palestine in 1946
Biography
Jasmin Moghbeli
Articles
Critical Thinking in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq Schools: A Case Study of Two Prominent Schools in Erbil
Biography
Zeynep Kaya
Archaeological places
Cendera Bridge
Biography
Hanifi Baris
Image and Description
Picture of Kurdish school children, Halabja in south Kurdistan 1965
Biography
Hafiz Akdemir
Library
Kurdish Elites: State, Identity, and Citizenship
Biography
Lisa Calan
Archaeological places
Mosque (Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi) in the city of Faraqin
Biography
Haval Hussein Saeed
Library
The Political Thought of Abdullah Öcalan
Library
Constructing Kurdistan: Cross-Border Kurdish Relations and Ethnic IdentityEthnic Identity
Articles
Re-thinking Sectarianism and Geopolitics in the Middle East: Theo-political Context, Sectarian Identity and Regional Order
Image and Description
Kurdish Jews from Mahabad (Saujbulak), Kurdistan, 1910
Library
Kurdish aspirations and the interests of the UK
Biography
Hardawan Mahmoud Kakashekh
Archaeological places
Hassoun Caves
Biography
Shilan Fuad Hussain
Library
Election Repot local elections turkye March 31 2024

Kurdipedia.org (2008 - 2024) version: 15.92
| Contact | CSS3 | HTML5

| Page generation time: 0.391 second(s)!