Peace Sisters: Displaced women bringing fractured communities together

In August 2014, 14-year-old Yazidi Amsha looked on in horror as ISIS militants stormed her family’s village near Sinjar, northern Iraq. Fearing for their lives, they fled, with nothing but the clothes on their back. “We had no car, so had to leave on foot,” Amsha recalls. “But my grandmother could not run, and so she was captured by ISIS and taken away. It was devastating, but we had no choice but to try and save ourselves and run towards the mountains.”

While on Mount Sinjar alongside thousands of other terrified Yazidis, Amsha’s pregnant sister went into labour. “We were quite far up the mountain, with little food or water, and my sister was desperately in need of help. It was then that a Muslim man came over to us, and with great kindness he helped her give birth. I don’t know what would have happened if he had not done so, because she was struggling badly.”

Eventually, Amsha and her family reached safety across the Syrian border, from where they travelled to Kurdistan and the Essyan camp for refugees and IDPs. It was there that Amsha heard about the Lotus Flower, which supports women and girl conflict survivors through education and livelihood projects, plus programmes around mental health and wellbeing, violence prevention and human rights awareness.

Seven years on from her ordeal, Amsha, now 21, is one of the Lotus Flower’s first trained ‘Peace Sisters’. As one of 50 young women taking part in the inaugural programme this year, she is receiving training in mediation and conflict resolution, as well as skills in critical thinking, teamwork and communications.

The project, in conjunction with the German Consulate in Erbil, is one of the first known schemes that focuses on women becoming mediators and active community leaders in this way. It also directly aligns with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal no. 16, which calls for peaceful, inclusive societies, justice for all and accountable institutions at every level.

Following their initial training, Amsha and her fellow Peace Sisters are leading a series of community activities that encourage inclusion, collaboration and open dialogue across multiple faiths, cultures and generations. These activities include men and boys, which is vital for achieving gender equality and bringing positive change.

Proud to be a Peace Sister, Amsha says: “Peacebuilding is so important. I first saw it the day that Muslim stranger stepped in to help me and my family on Mount Sinjar. This project has shown me how important it is to resolve conflict between communities – especially as a woman. We are all humans, and the majority of people are innocent of the violent acts committed against their community. I’m so pleased to support the process of peacebuilding and to have an impact on other communities, so that we can all coexist and live in harmony.”

For more information about the Lotus Flower projects, visit www.thelotusflower.org and follow @thelotusf on social media.