A young Iraqi Yezid Farhad Shammo, currently living in France, is preparing to compete for the International Student Prize together with 50 applicants from all over the world.
Shammo was born into a Yezidi family in 1994, in the village of Kobel in Sinjar district in a poor family. Living conditions forced him to work from the age of eight to help his family. A little boy was selling vegetables on a heavy cart, after work Farhad was herding geese, his family owned ten geese.
Despite these circumstances, Shammo was able to succeed in education, at the initial and secondary stages of education he was the best student, a little older boy moved to Sinjar to finish school. Due to the lack of universities in the Sinjar region, in 2013 Farhad moved to Dahuk province to continue his studies the young man chose the Faculty of Natural Sciences, the Department of Biology, in his spare time he worked in order to have time to cover living and study expenses. In the fourth year, Farhad immigrates to France.

Immigration to France. How and why?

Farhad recalls:
"On August 3, 2014, I worked on a small farm as a driver, took the harvest to the markets and sold it. Before this date, we heard that ISIS militants entered Mosul, and we also heard that they do not plan to enter Sinjar, since it is under the control of the Peshmerga, whose fighters will not allow them to occupy it. At that time, dozens of Shiite Turkmens fled from the Tal Afar region to Sinjar, many of them we received on our farms, and because of this we were threatened with death.
But then, our neighbors, ISIS accomplices attacked us, burned down our houses.
We were in real danger, my family and I were able to run to the mountain after midnight, by morning, we reached the mountain, where there were already thousands of families who wanted to survive, just like us. Seven days of helplessness, without water and food, soon opened the road leading to Syria, then together with other Yezidis we ended up in one of the camps in northern Iraq, where we stayed for more than three years."
Despite these problems, Farhad did not give up. While in the camps, he continued his studies at the university and engaged in humanitarian activities, working with international organizations. At the end of 2017, Farhad Shammo was able to get the opportunity to immigrate to France.
A new beginning of the dream realization
Farhad's exit from violence and conflict in Iraq provided a great opportunity to re-realize his dreams and ambitions, as he says: "I found security, stability and interest in France to complete my studies and implement my humanitarian project, and I received wonderful support from several figures and organizations."
And about his humanitarian project, he says: "In 2019, we created an organization called The Voice of the Yezidis, which mainly depends on volunteers who work together to support the Yezidi community and encourage cooperation, friendship and peace, as well as disseminate information about the Yezidi community and protect its fundamental rights by coordinating with the relevant authorities in support of displaced persons and refugees, especially in the issue of family reunification."

Global Student Award

Thanks to his success and outstanding achievements in his studies in France, Farhad, along with 50 other students from all over the world, are competing for the Global Student Award. The results of the award will be announced in November 2021, and the winner will be awarded a $100,000 prize at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France.
While studying at the French Institute, during the last period, Farhad received a master's degree in diplomacy and international relations and received special training at Harvard University in the USA in leadership and public narrative.