Into the heart of darkness
Join Zululand relief workers on the ground in Kurdistan, as they help thousands of Iraqi refugees.
THEY ran for 24 hours without stopping.
Behind them was a cacophony of explosions and gunshots.
There was no time to take any possessions.
A terrified father just latched onto his children and headed north towards Kurdistan into the early morning haze.
Running through the forest, the growls of wild animals could be heard as the terrified family fled ISIS terrorists. With wild animals running with them and past them to escape the treacherous sounds, his only thought was to ‘get his children away from these monsters’.
This Kurdish man was one of the few Yazidi refugees who lived to face another day after escaping insurgents in Sinjar, between Mosul and the Syrian border.
For the first time this week, the Deputy Director of Education shared his harrowing story with Mtunzini relief workers Jean Simonis and his wife Anita.
The Mtunzini couple jetted off to the conflict-torn region last Saturday to join non-governmental organisation, Global Relief, to assist thousands of defenceless Iraqis in refugee camps.
With violence spreading from Syria to Iraq, ISIS has conquered approximately one-third of Iraq and according to the United Nations, 1.8 million Iraqis have already been displaced.
Assessing the needs at Arbat camp this week, the Mtunzini couple were moved with compassion after hearing the dreadful account of the fleeing father and his family
Holding his fragile little blue-eyed girl in his arms, he told the Zululand couple, ‘I am too old to go and fight’.
‘I have nothing left. I only have my children. Not even the tent we sleep in belongs to me. All is gone. I had a nice house and was doing an important job. I was happy and content. We could not fight any longer and we had to run away.’
Grieving grandmother
The South African Global Relief and University of Zululand team also provided money for the purchase of 200 food parcels.
During one of the distribution campaigns, Anita – a qualified nurse, became the caring shoulder to cry on for a grieving and blind Yazidi grandmother.
She had survived a group massacre by ISIS at Sinjar, but needed healing from the horrors that she had experienced, but could not even see.
‘I noticed that she was nervously, covering the stump of what was left of an amputated left leg. I gripped her bony little fingers tighter and suddenly a deep sorrow came cascading out of her.
‘It wasn’t long before my spirit was gripped in torment and sadness. We brought food and blankets, but how could this clothe her naked soul and feed her starving spirit? A feeble prayer is all we could mutter,’ Anita said.
In an exclusive with the Zululand Observer, Unizulu head of Hydrology, Professor Simonis, said they had established important relations with NGOs, government officials, health practitioners and university members since their arrival eight days ago.
‘Doors have been opened to this first South African and African team to assist in the crisis,’ said Simonis from the refugee camp at Kurdistan.
Water filter
The Zululand professor and his students have also developed a low-cost ceramic water filter and there are already talks of the manufacture of such a filter in Iraq.
‘This will strengthen local enterprise, solve a water quality problem and also act as a tool for use in the current crisis.
‘The local church is interested in starting a production plant suited to local conditions and using our technology.
‘The town leadership at Said Sadiq is also interested in a partnership between Unizulu and local universities to research the water quality issues related to the 1988 bombings,’ Jean explained.
