Monthly Newsletter

JUNE 2021 NEWSLETTER

Dear friends,

We hope this email finds you well. This past month was full of both highs and lows, from inspiring graduations to devastating losses in Sharya IDP camp. Despite the challenges this month brought, we were nonetheless proud to see our community step up to support the Yezidi people in a meaningful way.

Early this month, a horrific fire ripped through Sharya IDP camp in northern Iraq, destroying hundreds of tents and the belongings of more than 1000 individuals. FYF raised over $18,000 to provide cash-based relief to affected families, helping them to rebuild. Tragedies such as this one underscore the ongoing issue of sub-par camp housing and the lack of reliable emergency services like fire and rescue.

This month saw the graduation of our first cohort of bakery trainees from FYF's newest enterprise, the Sugar is Sweet Bakery in Khanke! This groundbreaking livelihoods project will train more than 100 Yezidi women each year in basic baking techniques, business skills, and business mathematics. We are so proud of our first group of graduates, a number of whom will be selected for upcoming employment opportunities in the bakery. We invite you to visit the bakery and training center, taste our sweet treats, and follow along on Instagram @sugarissweetbakery.

June was also a busy month for other engagements. On the 15th, FYF provided testimony and submitted evidence to the Belgian Parliament during their Yezidi genocide deliberations. In addition to providing a strong voice for humanitarian assistance and genocide recognition, Pari also highlighted the need to prosecute ISIS members for specific genocide-related crimes:

"If prosecutors only legally demonstrate Da'esh members as participating in terror, then I fear we have missed the fundamental purpose of justice for mass atrocity crimes. I therefore call upon all those with prosecuting authority, beginning in Belgium, to carefully examine the evidence and the crimes of Da'esh members."

FYF's Pari Ibrahim testifies virtually at the Belgium Parliament, June 2021

In the field, FYF hosted a week of consultations for Yezidi survivors to meet UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) officials for discussions around concerns and ideas about the recently passed Yezidi Survivors' Law. FYF's Waheeda Omer, pictured, led the effort from the FYF side.

FYF clinical psychologist Yesim Arikut-Treece also led a discussion on her application of Eye Movement and Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy in the field for female genocide survivors at the EMDR Virtual2021 conference. From international advocacy and knowledge sharing to local engagement in civic processes, it was a challenging and rewarding month for FYF.

Thank you, as always, for your steadfast support of the Yezidi community.

CONTRIBUTE

Sincerely,

Pari Ibrahim
Executive Director
Free Yezidi Foundation

In the News

Washington Post | Fire burns through Yazidi displacement camp seven years after ISIS genocide | This article discusses the tragic Sharya fire, quoting FYF psychologist Mayan Hussein about the psychological implications of such tragedies.

Al Jazeera | Iraq's reparations law for Yezidi survivors is a positive step | This article reviews the Yezidi Survivors' Law and Iraqi civil society organizations' (including FYF) recommendations for efficient and survivor-centered implementation.

K24 | New upgraded shelters in camp for displaced Yezidis after fire | This article discusses the response to the Sharya fire, quoting FYF Executive Director Pari Ibrahim regarding common sense steps UN agencies can take to provide safer housing.

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Free Yezidi Foundation · Khanke · Duhok Province -- · Iraq