Sisters' Stories: "I set fire to myself"
As you know, we think it’s fundamentally important to share the personal stories of women and girls we support, so you can see for yourself the kind of impact we’re able to have on their lives.
As such stories go, Nisreen’s is one of the most affecting we can remember - and we should warn you of references to suicide in what follows below.
An ISIS survivor who has lived at Essyan camp since the ISIS atrocities, 2014 saw Nisreen and her family forced to flee their home and seek safety on Mount Sinjar. “We lived in fear, hunger and thirst, as well as seeing people dying in front of us,” she recalls.
After seven days, they crossed the Syrian border into Kurdistan, and so began life in the camp. Unable to attend school because she was considered too old, Nisreen adds: “I spent most of my time inside the small tent, continuing to live the horror of days I spent on Mount Sinjar.”
Gradually, she found her mental health becoming so poor that she began having suicidal thoughts. “One morning, I woke early, and feelings of hopelessness, anxiety and depression took over me. In that moment, I thought it might be best to put an end to them. I went outside, took some oil and set fire to myself without even thinking twice. I won’t ever forget the moment when I screamed and my family and neighbours rushed to put out the flames on my body.”
After two months in hospital, Nisreen returned to camp and agreed to meet our psychologist. “Now, it’s been almost a year, and I love my therapist so much,” she says. “I’ve finally been able to speak to someone who can really help me. My hope now is to recover from my injuries, because around 50% of my body is burnt.
“It is painful, and I do feel ashamed to show my scars. But I hope that others like me in displacement can receive proper psychological support, because it’s a lifesaving service. I can’t imagine my life without it.”
With mental health needs increasing at an alarming rate, we really need to increase this kind of therapy next year – so please do keep supporting us…
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