Working to realise her dream of peace in Iraq
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The conflict in Iraq brought unimaginable change in the lives of vulnerable women and girls across the country. Left without the security of a home and forced to seek shelter in camps for displaced people, many young girls’ education was disrupted, and most were never fortunate enough to return to learning. Some young girls though, through sheer determination made their way back into the system and today they are working to bring peace to a country still struggling to come to terms with its violent past.
In 2014, Suha Golo Hajji was a 3rd grade primary school pupil living in Sharya when ISIS forced their way in and took over the community. Those who were lucky enough, fled with few belongings. Suha found herself living in the Sharia complex in Duhok with her end-of-year exams postponed because of the displacement. There were no books and no Arabic schools available but her late submission for the exams was accepted and she was able to graduate to 4th grade.
During her first year as a displaced person, Suha managed to complete 4th grade in Domiz district and finished her studies while living at the Sharya camp for displaced people. In the camps, children struggled with education as families lived cheek-by-jowl in overcrowded conditions. Despite all the odds stacked against her she came through her education attaining a bachelor’s degree in Peace Studies and Human Rights.
“During my first year of displacement, I had to complete the 4th grade at a school in the Domiz district. After that, I finished my studies at Sharya camp for displaced persons and graduated from the university in Duhuk governorate”, Suha explained.
"My message to all is to not accept the difficult situation, the suffering of the camp, the lack of school...you will achieve what you want, if you have the determination. My organisation works in collaboration with UNWomen and is funded by the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund to strengthen women's meaningful participation and decision making in conflict prevention and response processes in Sinjar. Through my work, I met many new people, I was able to contribute and take care of my community and I now work to encourage participation in decision-making among women’s groups.” Suha Golo Hajji
Suha currently works as a peace mediator with DAK organization team and her ambition is to return home once basic services are in place and the area is secure. As a single woman she lives with her family and her siblings help her out financially. “Thank God I am currently working with DAK organization on this project that will benefit me and my community”, she said.
She continued, “Participating in this project has changed my life for the better - mentally, morally, and financially. The issues are close to my area of expertise, so I was always interested, but there was a huge bonus in learning training skills and being able to interact easily with people. I am now confident and eager to improve myself to achieve my goals and ambitions.”
Through Suha’s training, facilitated by UNWomen, she was empowered to encourage others to participate in similar exercises and stressed her own growing self-confidence learning new information. She was encouraged to speak out and explain problems among female groups encouraging them to take the opportunity to benefit from the training she received.