Not even early marriage or ISIS can stop these two Yazidi girls from completing their education
Yazidi teens share their stories with Malala during her Girl Power Trip stop in Kurdistan
During Malala’s Girl Power Trip stop in the Kurdistan region of Iraq last week, she met two courageous Yazidi girls — Hadea and Najlaa — who fled child marriages and ISIS just to go to school.
Teenagers Hadea and Najlaa told Malala about refusing marriage proposals from their families. Najlaa remembers running away in her wedding dress: “I left my high heels because I couldn’t run in them.”
She explained to her would-be husband, “I don’t want to marry you because I have a dream to be a journalist and I am too young.” Both girls faced alienation from their families as a result of their defiance.
Their path to education became even harder when ISIS invaded their towns. The Yazidis are a Kurdish religious minority persecuted by ISIS. More than 5,500 Yazidis have been killed in Iraq and over 90,000 others forced to leave the country.
As a result of the invasion, Hadea and Najlaa fled their homes again. As she escaped, ISIS fighters shot at Najlaa and hit her hand. She still has the scar to prove it. Hadea walked nine hours through the mountains to safety.
Today the girls live in a concrete shell of an unfinished building in Kurdistan and walk over an hour to school. But they are happy to be free and in a classroom again. Hadea proudly told Malala that she is the top student in her class — she wants to become a writer one day and share her story with the world.
All over the world, girls like Hadea and Najlaa are fighting to go to school and fighting for their futures. Imagine what they could accomplish if they didn’t have to work so hard for their education.
Give today to tell these girls they don’t have to fight alone.
Violence may have forced them from their homes, but it doesn’t have to define their futures. Together we can make sure every girl has the opportunity to learn and lead without fear.
In April, Malala kicked off her global #GirlPowerTrip to meet with girls like Hadea and Najlaa and amplify their stories. Each girl has a unique story to tell — and their voices are our most powerful weapons in the fight for education and equality.
