Sinjar, Iraq – Sanam Hagi was displaced from Sinjar along with hundreds of thousands of other members of the Yazidi community in 2014. But her plight was especially difficult – she had to flee with her two children while pregnant, and on prosthetic legs due to the congenital condition she was born with.
Sanam’s husband had just been kidnapped by Daesh, and she was alone.
“We had to walk up and through a mountain range to reach the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where we would be safe. During this time, my plastic feet broke; I was pregnant and on my own,” she recalls.
With the support of those she met along the way, Sanam found safety on the other side of the mountain range, and she eventually made her way to Erbil where she could replace her prosthetics.
“At that time, I had three young children who needed food, diapers and safety,” says Sanam. She managed to get by with support from her family and government aid for people with disabilities.
That is, until she started to raise sheep.
“I chose sheep because it's easier to manage them with my disability,” she says. “This business will be mine and my children’s future.”
As part of IOM’s Graduation Approach programme, Sanam received training on how to effectively manage her business, build a new home and other services. Photos: IOM Iraq 2024/Angela Wells
As part of IOM’s Graduation Approach programme, Sanam received training on how to effectively manage her business, build a new home and other services. Photos: IOM Iraq 2024/Angela Wells
Sanam made her idea a reality with support from the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Graduation Approach programme in Iraq. It offered seed funding for her to buy her initial livestock, and also provided business training and holistic services that are helping her rebuild her life.
“I am confident the income will support us, because of the skills I learned at the training,” Sanam shares. Her business also helps to support her children’s education. Her older son, Firas, and younger daughter, Surgl, aspire to become doctors, while her youngest son, Delbrin, dreams of becoming a teacher. The children take pride in helping their mother with the sheep during their free time from school.
Sanam has also received mental health and psychosocial support. She is turning towards her business to help her move on from the hardships of displacement and loss.
“Psychologically, the business is already helping me to keep my mind busy and distracted from the painful past. Caring for these sheep prevents me from dwelling on the negative parts of my past,” she adds.
Raising sheep helps Sanam to keep her mind focused on building a better future and overcoming the trauma she experienced during the conflict. Photo: IOM Iraq 2024/Angela Wells
Sanam has also received funding to build a new home for her and her children. Over the past years, she has been hosted by relatives, but she is looking forward to soon having her own space, designed to her preferences.
“I’m so relieved to know that I’ll soon have my own house where I can live with my children. I can raise my sheep in my back garden,” says Sanam.
Sanam looks forward to moving into the new home she is building for herself and her three children. Photos: IOM Iraq/Angela Wells
Sanam looks forward to moving into the new home she is building for herself and her three children. Photos: IOM Iraq/Angela Wells
IOM also supported Sanam to secure legal documents for the land deed, as well as renewing identity documents that she lost while fleeing her home. She hopes her flock of sheep, her new home and her ability to send her children to school are signs that a new chapter is opening in her life.
“In the future, I feel that I will be happy with my children, and I hope their father will return to us,” she says. “As for my business, I plan to eventually sell milk, yoghurt and lambs. We’ll be able to depend on this income for our livelihoods.”
The GA programme is funded by the German Development Bank (KfW) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and operates in multiple governorates, including Ninawa, Duhok, Kirkuk, and Anbar, helping some of the most vulnerable women meet their families’ basic needs, create sustainable businesses, build resilience, and envision a future filled with possibilities.
