Every year, the UN SDG Action Awards spotlight the Heroes of Tomorrow—changemakers transforming hope into action for a more sustainable and just world.
Among them is Jîn Dawod, UN SDG Action Awards Changemaker winner, who is transforming her lived experience as a Syrian refugee into a global movement for mental health and healing. Through her pioneering platform Peace Therapist, she is breaking down barriers for displaced and marginalized people—proving that healing can cross every border.
From Displacement to Digital Innovation
Fleeing war in Raqqa, Syria, and arriving in Türkiye as a teenager, Jîn experienced firsthand the isolation of displacement. Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder herself, she faced the same barriers millions of refugees endure—no access to therapy in her language, no affordable or safe options, and no platform to find help.
While studying computer engineering, Jîn developed the initial version of Peace Therapist, offering therapy in Arabic, Kurdish, Turkish, and English. The platform connects people to personalized online therapy, AI-powered psychologist matching, and crisis-responsive care, supported by a network of 150 psychologists committed to serving vulnerable communities.
“We believe that peace begins within the human heart—and when individuals heal, they rebuild families, communities, and societies. Our goal is to create a world where mental health support is not a privilege, but a universal human right.”
Impact across Borders
From its beginnings as a student project, Peace Therapist has grown into a global mental health lifeline, reaching 70,000+ people in 26 countries and breaking language and access barriers for refugees, migrants, and marginalized communities.
Jîn’s leadership has earned her the 2025 UN SDG Action Awards Changemaker Award Winner, 2024 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award for Europe and the Youth Leadership and Innovation Award by GFMD, recognizing her as a driving force in refugee-led innovation. She has brought her vision to the United Nations, the European Parliament, and global tech forums, influencing policy and practice at the intersection of mental health, refugee rights, and inclusive technology.
A Call to Heal
Currently pursuing her master’s in computer engineering, specializing in signal and image processing for AI in mental health, Jîn is expanding Peace Therapist to reach even more people in crisis zones. She calls on governments, donors, and tech leaders to invest in refugee-led solutions that combine lived experience with cutting-edge innovation and encourages organisations, private sectors and UN entities to reach out for collaborations with Peace Therapist.
From building platforms that heal to breaking barriers in mental health access, Jîn Dawod is showing that inclusive leadership is leadership that lasts.
“I wish I could have told my younger self that she would stand in the light and turn that pain into purpose. Everyone who is in their weakest and darkest point in their life, I am your message from the future. This Award is not the end, it’s the beginning.”
— Jîn Dawod, Founder, Peace Therapist at the Heroes of Tomorrow: UN SDG Action Awards Ceremony
