Sisters' Stories: How our project with The Big Heart Foundation and NAMA is helping ISIS survivor Asima

Since launching in December, our project with The Big Heart Foundation and NAMA Women Advancement has been making great strides, with many women and girls experiencing significant benefits to their lives.

The year-long Women’s Business Incubation initiative is providing financial support and business mentorship for new and existing women-led small businesses, as well as mental health support. The project is also delivering large-scale community awareness sessions to help reduce and prevent gender-based violence. 

One of the beneficiaries of the project is Asima, a 19-year-old living at Essyan camp with her four siblings and mother, after her father passed away 10 years ago. Like thousands of other Yazidis, she and her family experienced extreme hardship during the ISIS attacks of 2014, and after being forced to flee their home, they became being stuck on Mount Sinjar for five days, with no food or water. Asima has never had the chance to attend school, and has instead been responsible for taking care of her younger siblings.

Asima is just one beneficiary of many

But after recently participating in our project, receiving mental health therapy and taking part in a range of awareness activities, she says: “I used to be alone in our tent with nothing to do, so I wanted to socialise more and try new things.

“I have learned a lot from the mental health sessions, and am feeling calmer and better after getting to know girls from the camp.”

Using techniques taught by our psychologist, Asima is now able to manage her anxiety and negative emotions. “I continuously practice the things we’ve learned in the sessions, and it has made me feel more joyful, and less alone.”

The Women’s Business Incubation project is being run at Essyan, Rwanga and Domiz 2 camps, with 10 women also receiving financial grants and mentorship in order to launch a new small business. Their training covers the fundamentals needed to start a business, from market research and planning through to launch, effective management, recruitment and networking.  In addition, a further 10 women whose businesses have been badly impacted by the pandemic are recieving financial grants and mentoring so that they can refresh and relaunch their businesses, with a focus on digital and online marketing, social media for business, crisis management, hygiene training and delivery services.

We’re so grateful to The Big Heart Foundation and NAMA for their support and for enabling us to reach so many displaced women and girls in this way…