Tara welcomes us into her tent and motions for us to sit down on a thin mattress. I take it all in, the colorful fabric lining the walls of the tent, a small shelf with pictures of family members, and the thin woman sitting in front of me with a sad smile on her face. As we start talking, she tells us her story.
ISIS invaded her village during the war. She was taken captive as a sex slave, and her father was killed in front of her. After five years of captivity she escaped, only to find that all her family members had been killed. A couple years have gone by, and she now lives in a refugee camp with thousands of other Yazidi refugees. Many of them are waiting. Waiting for justice, waiting for resettlement, waiting to find some glimmer of hope in their future. I look up at Tara and ask, “What are your hopes and dreams for the future?” I have asked this question to many refugee women and usually find some form of hope expressed: a better future for their children, returning to their homeland, rebuilding their life. Tara replied, “I hope to travel back to my village and dig up the mass grave so I can properly bury my family members.” My gaze turned to the pictures of her family members.
As I left Tara's home that day, many stories I have heard from other Yazidi women came to mind. So many women have gone through immense trauma and are haunted by their past. The need for trauma care is huge and overwhelming. However, amid the hopelessness, I know there is One who can give them true hope. One who has come to proclaim release to captives, freedom to prisoners, and comfort to those who mourn. One who gives beauty instead of ashes and an oil of gladness instead of mourning. One who we have seen touch lives in tangible ways.
Join us in praying for Tara and other Yazidi women as our team in Iraq diligently endeavors to help them find healing.
Photo by Getty