Tactics story
Yoga and friendship for survivors of ISIL, Iraq

Tactic: Material and psychosocial support

Yazidis are an ethno-religious community based in northern Iraq whose religion is influenced by pre-Islamic, Islamic, Christian and Zoroastrian traditions. Yazidi’s have been persecuted for centuries, most recently by the Islamic State (ISIL).

In 2014, Azeezah was taken captive by ISIL militants and forced to convert to Islam. She escaped after 4 years but suffers from post-traumatic stress and finds life without her family, most of whom had fled to Germany, very difficult. In 2019, she joined a yoga class provided by WEPO, a local NGO. The classes are a safe space for displaced women to relax, discuss their feelings and make friends in their new environment.

“It helps us to escape from our reality. I made friends there.”
Azeezah

Source: www.kurdistan24.net