Humans of South - Humans of Kurdistan

“I'm 11. Since my father is ill and cannot get out of his bed, my brother and I have to take the responsibility to feed our family. It's not easy to be a shepherd, but when you must find a way to make a living, you'll have to do anything. I do get tired everyday out there, but I'm still happy that we can take care of ourselves and we don't need anyone. Every day when I go home and see my mother and father in good health, I forget all of my pain and tiredness. The most important thing is that my siblings and I are all still in school, and I have hope that we can secure a good future for ourselves and finally get out of village life”. ...

Jan 01 2021

January 1, 2021

“I am baffled by how some people wish Saddam Hussein was back on TV. People who have not lived in the Baath regime era doesn't know how savage they were. In 41 years of my life living in that era, I did not spend one day being happy. Killings, beatings, and Anfal were all I saw. Even the end of the regime was bad for me. When we ran away my leg broke, and my sons transported me using a trolley from Chamchamal to Byara. I still suffer from my leg being broke and I can't walk. Thankfully, we passed that era and now we live freely in our land with our own government and we can speak our language, that's the most important thing for me. Even though all of my life is waisted and I'm old now, but my life now is much better than it used to be. The only thing that makes me sad is seeing all those women being killed daily. I don't understand what women could do to deserve that”. ...

Dec 28 2020

December 28, 2020

“Being and ambulance was a childhood dream for me. I think it's a blessing to be able to save someone's life. Thankfully, I have been doing this job for six years, I now work at the health center of Warte town. I have thanked the people of Balakayati many times, they have helped me by clearing the way while transporting a patient, even though there are some drivers who panic when they hear the sirens and clear the way slowly, but what pains me is that there are some unaware people who don't feel responsible, they won't clear the way and they even race with me at times. Imagine the car behind you driving fast to save somebody's life. I really hope people stop doing that, so that ambulance drivers can drive the patients to the hospital even if it's minutes faster. Believe me when I say that not minutes, but seconds are important to me as an ambulance driver, at times seconds are not a short time to save someone's life”. ...

Dec 26 2020

December 26, 2020

“I finished my education without having much fortune and had to work while in school. I have had a lot of difficulties in my life, but I have been able to stand it all just so I can have a better future. I will never forget the first time I received a salary, the feeling is indescribable because I was holding on to a thread in life. Life has changed a lot now, many things have even gotten harder. I used to think about how I can make my life better with the salary I had, but I was never able to put some of that money away for the future. One day at work, they brought in a young man who had committed suicide because of an argument with his father, and when I saw his car keys still attached to him, wearing expensive clothes and cologne, right there I realized that money doesn't buy you happiness.” ...

Dec 22 2020

December 22, 2020

“Kurdish Jamdani and hat are an important part of my job, as well as an important part of our culture. My father started this job in the nineties, and then was handled by my brother, and now I do the same work. We have many different types of Jamdani, some of which is for the younger people to wear with clothes, and the older models are for older people. There is another type that is famous among tourists. In 2003, when the Americans came, they were buying Jamdanis and were taking them back home. A lot of the time we see our products in social media that was published in other countries saying they have bought these products in Kurdistan, and that makes is very happy”. ...

Dec 21 2020

December 21, 2020

“When I was young, I was doing contracting work with a nephew of mine, for 7 dinars per day, and some days we were transporting goods, I was taking grapes from Shadala to beyond Kirkuk. I spent all of my youth working, but I felt like the world was mine. I got married in an old traditional way (exchanging brides). The distance between Homarqawm and Shadala is about half an hour. I built a home for us, but when my wife passed away, there was not much to live for. I don't have the same energy anymore. I had everything when she was with me, but lost everything when she passed away”. ...

Dec 19 2020

December 19, 2020

“They used to call me the Fig Selling girl, I understand why they were calling me that, but now many tourists call me the Mona Lisa of Kurdistan, and I don't know what it means. Nevertheless, I know most people like me and take photos with me because they think my eyes are beautiful. I'm always happy when they take snap shots with me, and being popular has also benefited my business. For a nine years old girl like me, a job like this is suitable because I work on the main street of Ble w Barzan, which is a few meters away from my house.” ...

Dec 17 2020

December 17, 2020

“I was living in a difficult situation for a period of time, and I couldn't help it no matter how much I tried. Nevertheless, if you have good friends who help you in difficulties, you will get pass that period easily. Thankfully, I had those types of friends and they helped me, I'm thankful for them. My mother was also the most important person in my life, who also acted as a father to me. I hope I can someday pay her back for her sacrifices she made for me. I know own my business and live happily, I also try to help the young and upcoming people who come to me for work.” ...

Dec 15 2020

December 15, 2020

“I started from the streets, and ended up at a big club like Halabja club. I see my dad as much as a leading factor as I am in my success story, but his effect was behind the scenes. He isn't just a father to me, he was like a castle to me. In a city like Halabja, playing in sports outfits for a girl like me in front of thousands of people is not easy unless you have support. Furthermore, many people who considered themselves educated were criticizing me because I wasn't covering up my body and sports wasn't for me. Nevertheless, with God's support as well as my family being behind me, I was able to overcome all of the obstacles and reach the goals I had since I was a kid. Now I play for the biggest club in Kurdistan, which is Hawler club.” ...

Dec 13 2020

December 13, 2020

“We were displaced and we came to Sulaimani, all of our belongings are gone. I started working here and thankfully we were able to restart our lives here. We couldn't have a good youth life, but we are doing well now. life is good, but our country is going through a rough time. For a while, I was working at an arts company specialized in sound and cartoon dubbing, I was a sound director. I slowly started learning other work, especially lighting, but I still liked working in sound more because it is my field of work. I have also learned about cameras and its types. A lot of changes have been made now, but for me it was a great field of work and I really liked it.” ...

Dec 10 2020

December 10, 2020