Sisters' Stories: “Boxing has made me braver”
Entisar is an 18-year-old woman who was living happily with her family and cousins in Sinjar before conflict broke out in the Kurdistan region in 2014.
Like other children her age, she loved going to school, learning and playing with her classmates in their small village. But when ISIS attacked, the family were forced to flee, leaving everything they knew and loved behind.
They spent many terrible days trapped on Mount Sinjar with thousands of other innocent families, and despite being just a child, Entisar witnessed the deaths of many women and children due to hunger and thirst. Tragically, in the chaos of the war, she also became separated from her siblings – and even today she and her parents have no idea what happened to them.
They have been living at Essyan camp ever since, and Entisar says: “Our life is so difficult here, but we are coping, and it is getting better.”
However, the situation in camp meant Entisar had to stop her education, which had many negative effects on her wellbeing. “I’ve had so many mental health symptoms such as anger and aggression, and I began having bad thoughts which affected my health.”
When she heard about our boxing and literacy project with Medica Mondiale, she decided to sign up. “I had wanted to learn boxing for some time, but until then I was not aware were people who could teach me,” she says. “When I started the classes I was able to control myself and I became calmer. Now I am looking at life positively.
“Another benefit I’ve gained from boxing is that it’s made me braver. I know I have skills to defend myself when needed, and also to express myself even without talking.”
In future, Entisar even wants to participate in boxing championships – as well as completing her studies.
We’re so glad this project has given her the confidence and self-belief she had lost…
