Among the early established international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) active in the autonomous region are Handicap International[84] and DanChurchAid,[85] while many established NGOs are deterred by the aggressive Turkish embargo policy. However, there are numerous purpose-built initiatives of international support for Rojava and people in Rojava as well as a considerable amount of freelance volunteers. The international volunteers with the People's Protection Units (YPG) self-defence militia have been widely reported on,[86][87][88] as to a lesser extent have the international volunteers with the infrastructure-building initiative.[89]