The money spent on humanitarian aid and the number of people who received it do not matter. What is important is to achieve a simple goal.

The assumption of the Great Job Project is to help families to become self-reliant. Apart from helping them financially, it also strengthens the entire local community giving them hope and bringing their dignity back.

Here you can read more about the Great Job: How we act – ‘Great Job’ Project

Last year two hunters were hunting to the northern side of the Sinjar Mountain, close to the border with Syria. ISIS had been pushed out of those territories many months earlier. However, it doesn’t mean that all terrorists left the region. To this day they have been carrying out offensive actions and single terrorist acts. They try to wreak havoc and disorganize the re-emerging community. The aforementioned men were trying to get food for their families. In Snuni where they were from, similarly to other places, it is difficult to get any job. During the hunting they got captured by unknown perpetrators, they were tortured and killed. Just like it had been done many times before, their execution was recorded on the phone and published on the Internet.

We will not bring their relatives back, but we can help them stand on their own two feet.

The tactic that ISIS applies against civilians, in particular the Yazidis or other religions it identifies as hostile, has not changed since the time they were not even known under this name. At the beginning of the twentieth century, numerous bands that split from al-Qaeda were operating in the same manner. Kidnappings for ransom, murdering men – the breadwinners – spreading terror and fear among local populations – these are their modus operandi.

In February this year, we built a greenhouse for one of the affected families. This region is known for its vegetable and fruit cultivation since the conditions for that are excellent. After three months, as the end of the cucumber season, they collected their first crop. Now, they want to plant potatoes, radish, and onions.

At the end of March, we also provided help to the second family. Before the August 2014 genocide which forced them to flee Sinjar, they had been running a car repair shop. The terrorists looted their shop and stole all the tools and equipment. After coming back, all they found were bare walls. Now, they can work again like in the past and do what they can do best. The oldest son of the murdered man learnt the profession under his father’s eye. Today, he is the head of the family responsible for their fate.

Brining back dignity, hope, and possibilities are achievable in a few simple steps: finding out what people need, gather funds, and purchase the tools. We do not need to provide them with know-how. Quite the opposite – we can learn from them how to use the chance that life has given us.

Author: Dawid Czyż