28-year-old Saadia Hussain Merza, a native of the village of Tal Kassad (Sinjar), was an ambitious, cheerful girl, living a simple but joyful life with many friends and family. The people in her small village were very sociable, and life was dedicated to happiness and togetherness.

"Until 2014 (when the ISIS attack took place) I went to school with my friends - my best memories are having fun with my friends at school. While I wasn't working, I helped my mother with the housework. Our house was small and old, but our life was filled with such happiness; I miss my village, my friends."

Unfortunately, in 2014, the life of Saadia and its village changed dramatically. She recalls being paralyzed with fear and anxiety after learning that ISIS terrorists had surrounded her village. Saadia and her family managed to escape by climbing Mount Sinjar, where they spent a painful 10 days. However, the most painful moment was when they learned that ISIS had captured and killed the families remaining in the village of Tal Qassad. Saadia has lost loved ones to the brutality and barbarism of ISIS.

"On that fateful black day, everything changed in my life. After we escaped, we went to the border area of Syria to find the Kurdish armed forces (YPK) - we got to Iraqi Kurdistan on foot, with pain in our soul and tears in our eyes, but still got there."

Eventually, Saadia and her family arrived in Kurdistan-Duhok, which was located in northern Iraq. Saadia's brother and father are unable to work due to chronic illnesses. In addition, after the escape in 2014, her mother's chronic diseases (hypertension and diabetes) worsened.

"ISIS changed and destroyed my childhood and my future. They have taken my friends and made my life a hell from which I cannot escape."

But because of Saadia's determination to provide a good life for her family, along with the Yazda-ASB collaboration that has changed the lives of many Yazidis, positive changes may be on the horizon. Saadia, who currently lives in the Al-Shuhada neighborhood of Sinjar city with her family, enrolled in a six-month vocational training program under Yazda, where she honed her skills as a pastry chef. She gained important experience, and with the financial help of Yazda and relatives, she was able to open a pastry shop in Sinjar.

"I love my business, every person who comes to the store is a motivation for me. In addition, I have become the sole breadwinner of the family, now I can freely buy basic necessities and take my parents to see doctors."

Saadia states that her plans for the future are solely to ensure that her confectionery works successfully. In addition, Saadia wants to stay in the city of Sinjar because her village was destroyed and burned by ISIS. The sooner the security situation stabilizes and the Government helps the Yazidi community rebuild their villages and lives, the better.

yazda.org