We are building a school in Iraq
In August 2014, ISIS carried out a genocide against the Yazidis in Sinjar.
The terrorists murdered several thousand people. Around 13,000 young women and children were kidnapped. Women and girls were turned into sex slaves and sold on slave markets. Boys were forced to install detonators in explosive devices or trained to carry out suicide attacks. Hundreds of thousands had to flee the region to save their lives.
After fleeing their hometowns and villages, most Yazidis found shelter in camps for internally displaced persons. They were meant to be temporary. Unfortunately, seven years have passed and they still live in these camps. Towns and villages which they fled from were ruined. Despite that, they want to go back.
Support the rebuilding of the school
The most courageous ones have already taken steps to go back to places they left in 2014.
After returning, they found only a sea of debris. ISIS was destroying everything on their way. The invaders were blowing up schools and hospitals. They were looting houses and shops and then setting them on fire or destroying them through detonation.
Many towns and villages were razed to the ground. Returning families have found themselves in a stalemate. Fortunately, destroyed places can be rebuilt but it requires a massive amount of work and financial means. They will not be able to do it alone, but even small support can help them remove the results of terrorists’ invasion.
Every village in the mountains used to have its own school.
The towns and villages of Sinjar are separated by considerable distances. The region’s terrain is mountainous and the roads are in terrible condition. The locals would build schools on their own so that their children had access to education.
For example, such a school existed in the village of Zomani. Several dozen children between 7 and 14 years old were attending it. They were learning to read and write as well as other subjects such as mathematics, geography and biology. The school was built by the residents of Zomani in 2010. It was not large, but it was good enough for classes to be run successfully.
In 2014, the village was taken over by ISIS. All residents fled. They came back recently, in June 2021. The school building has been destroyed. Most probably the terrorists blew it up.
Every village in the mountains used to have its own school.
The towns and villages of Sinjar are separated by considerable distances. The region’s terrain is mountainous and the roads are in terrible condition. The locals would build schools on their own so that their children had access to education.
For example, such a school existed in the village of Zomani. Several dozen children between 7 and 14 years old were attending it. They were learning to read and write as well as other subjects such as mathematics, geography and biology. The school was built by the residents of Zomani in 2010. It was not large, but it was good enough for classes to be run successfully.
In 2014, the village was taken over by ISIS. All residents fled. They came back recently, in June 2021. The school building has been destroyed. Most probably the terrorists blew it up.
The nearest school is located 15 kilometers away from Zomani.
Small children can’t reach it by walking. There is no public transport in the region, so the only way would be an hours-long walk along mountainous roads. It’s a too-large effort for a child. Besides, these roads are dangerous as there are still many unexploded ordnances and mines in the region left by ISIS. For this reason, at the moment the children don’t go to school at all.
We would like to build a new school to give these kids an education opportunity. The cost would reach several thousand dollars or 25,000-30,000 thousand zlotys. Additionally, we would like to buy some basic equipment, such as blackboards, cleaning products and educational materials. More than seventy kids are waiting for the first bell to ring in a new school.