10th Anniversary Survivor Stories: Pakiza

In commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Yazidi genocide, Nadia’s Initiative is sharing a series of survivor stories to highlight the impact of the genocide at an individual level. While these stories are harrowing, they shine a light on the incredible resilience of survivors.

“A deep wound and intense sorrow... then, remarkable resilience”

Majestic as Mount Sinjar, strong as a fig tree, and pure as spring water, Pakiza Milham Ali remains unshaken by hardship and unbroken by injustice.

Pakiza endured torture and imprisonment at the hands of ISIS, and was forced to watch her husband’s murder.

Swallowed by despair, she found a glimmer of hope when she escaped captivity, first to the Sinjar Mountains and then to refugee camps in Syria.

Pakiza was glad to be alive, and soon was able to return to Sinjar. But at first, only silent nights and loneliness remained in the place she had once called home, where the surrounding land and communities had been rendered unrecognizable during the ISIS occupation of the region.

Nonetheless, Pakiza kept moving forward, working hard to provide for her nine children.

She started by setting up a tent on a sidewalk, and soon after began knitting wool to earn a modest living.

The following year, with her roots in Sinjar reestablished and with a firm belief in the importance of education, Pakiza sent her children back to school – and despite her persistent pain, she was able to find new joy in their academic success and honor a promise made to her husband before his death.

Today, Pakiza has one remaining dream: to have a roof over her head after spending a decade under a tent.