In many places around the world, women face dangers in their immediate environment. In countries suffering the effects of war or natural disasters, it is the women who bear the brunt of these effects. They carry the burden of feeding children, ensuring their safety, fetching water, overseeing health and hygiene of the family—and all in extremely dire conditions.
Learn about the stories of women who have survived through their perseverance, strength, and courage—in their own words.
07.09.2022human storiesI Will Move Forward with Closed Fist and Open Mind
Parwana’s Story
From the day I reached Europe, I have been waiting for the chance to write about my dreams, rather than explaining the reason I am here. I have been thinking about why I am never asked to talk about my plans for the future, but instead about the decision my parents made for me to […]
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30.08.2022article, human storiesWho Are the Yazidis?
“As an ancient monotheistic religion, Yazidism shares elements with other Middle Eastern traditions [e.g. elements of Islam (Shiism, Sufism); Christianity (Nestorianism); Proto-Indo-Iranian religion; and Kurdish, Judaic, and Gnostic mythologies] but is set apart by its prayer rituals, a belief in reincarnation, and the central role of the Peacock Angel, Tawusi Malek, who is worshiped as […]
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30.08.2022human storiesOne Day
Layla’s Story
I am thirty-four. I lived with my husband and our four children in Sinjar District, Nineveh Province. My husband had a job, we had a car, the children went to school. We lacked for nothing. One day, militants bearing black flags descended on our village. They were soldiers of the so-called Islamic State. Not even […]
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