Seve - Iraq
My name is Seve
One night, sleeping in the safety of her home, Seve was woken up by her neighbour, who urged her and her family to escape. Islamic State fighters were killing men and kidnapping girls. Seve and her husband couldn't believe what was happening but they decided to run. Seve witnessed rape and her family was separated.
Our neighbour knocked at the door and asked ‘Why are you not escaping?’ She told us that they are kidnapping girls and killing men, so we decided to run away and not take anything with us.
Fortunately, Seve’s family was reunited at the Kurdistan border and they have found refuge in Khanke, a small town overlooking the Tigris river in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Seve is deeply traumatised, but since joining the programme, she has found that being with other women brings her calm. There is still a long way to go for Seve to find her peace, but she is hopeful for the future. She wants her daughters to be successful, go to university, gain qualifications and build careers.
Our work in Iraq
Over the next three years, we will work with 3,000 Syrian and Yazidi women who have fled to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. With your help we will help them overcome trauma and find the resources needed to rebuild their lives.
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Grace
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I was alone and had to take care of the children who were all very young at the time. I couldn’t imagine them growing without their father around. He was the one who provided for them.
Zarghuna
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One of my friends told me about Women for Women International and how it provided training for women. That’s when I learned that I wasn’t alone in my suffering. There are other women, who have the same pain.
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I will continue mobilising other women in the community in utilising the lessons I have learned, and I hope many more of them will be part of the training.