Can anyone help us?

Northern Iraq

"Everyday I come here and I ask God if anyone can help us." 

Adul, 60, stands with her deaf and mute granddaughter Rajja, 14, in front of the Baba Chawish Yazidi temple outside of the Khanke refugee camp.

"I never fought before Daesh (the Islamic State) came. I never wanted to. Now I go to school for 10 days and then go to Sinjar to fight as a Peshmerga for 10 days." 

Maher, 19, is in 6th grade at a school for internally displaced people in the refugee camp where he lives with his family in northern Iraq. Last time he was in school was in Sinjar a year ago. Today was his first day of school since then, but they have no books and the tents for the classrooms (in the background) are falling down. Him and his two brothers support 11 family members. 

Maher's brother's wife and their 3 daughters were captured by Daesh (the Islamic State). The oldest is 5 and a half. A few months ago they received a message on Facebook from Daesh saying they could pay $50,000 for them to be released. But, they wanted $6,000 upfront and we figured it was a lie. Ten days after reaching out to us, the Facebook account was closed. 

"Everyone takes photos of me. Thank God my face is great." 

Khuder, 71, escaped with his family, including 24 grandchildren, in August 2014 when Daesh invaded Sinjar mountain. They now live in makeshift tents outside of Khanke refugee camp in northern Iraq. There are approximately 20,000 people inside the camp and another 20,000 - 30,000 people living outside the camp. 

"When I play with my beads I remember home and I forget all my problems." 

Khansa, 70, is a Yazidi refugee from Sinjar mountain. 

"I volunteered with the Sinjar force in the mountain for 3 months after Daesh came as a guard. I learned how to fight when I worked for the Iraqi army for 6 years during the war with Iran." 

Haji is a Yazidi refugee from Sinjar mountain living in Khanke refugee camp in northern Iraq. 

Nisrine, 9

Basma, 8

Many of the refugees in northern Iraq are Yazidis -- a Kurdish religious community. They are often considered "devil worshipers" by other religious groups. Under Islamic Law as observed by ISIL, Yazidis are officially given the choice to convert to Sunni Islam or die. The massacre by the Islamic State in the Sinjar Mountains is the 73rd massacre the Yazidis have faced. Every Yazidi you meet has a story of a mother, father, brother or sister who was or is held captive or murdered by the Islamic State. 

Suham, 9

Most of the internally displaced children in northern Iraq have missed an entire year of school. The Iraqi government and humanitarian organizations have scrambled to setup temporary schools in refugee camps across northern Iraq but they are ill-equipped -- often lacking basic supplies and qualified teachers attempting to teach overcrowded classrooms in crumbling tents. 

Susan, 10

"I haven't received a salary for 4 months. We don't know when we'll get paid again."
- Zed (English teacher in a refugee camp for Yazidis in northern Iraq) 

Teachers hired to teach internally displaced children in Kurdistand have not been paid for over 4 months. The reason is still unclear. Some say the government is stopping salaries to government employees in Kurdistan to prevent the money from passing into the Islamic State's hands. Others say, the government in Baghdad stop sending the money to Kurdistand to pay their employees because they are out of money. Others assert that it's a government conspiracy and the Kurdistan government is holding the money and blaming the Baghdad government. 

Yazidi refugee in Khanke refugee camp in northern Iraq. 

In case you missed it, like me, the Islamic State seized towns in Sinjar on August 3 - 4, 2014. Families fled in the middle of the night to the mountain and hid for 7 - 10 days before running out of resources and walking by foot to the nearest town. Many traveled to Syria before coming back into Kurdistan and eventually settling in refugee camps in Northern Iraq. There are several camps like this one that house approximately 20,000 people. Outside another 30 - 40,000 people have setup makeshift tents, but lack the services (including toilets, water, and showers) found inside the camps. 

"My son says you must take me with you to fight with the Peshmerga. He's five." 

Hassan was a construction worker before Daesh invaded Sinjar Mountain in August 2014. He's helped build 16 houses inside Khanke refugee camp where he lives with his family. Now he works with the Peshmerga—the Kurdish military force fighting Daesh in northern Iraq. 

Life is on hold for Yazidi refugees in northern Iraq who have waited for more than a year to go home to Sinjar which was captured by the Islamic State in August 2014. 

Over a few weeks, I worked on a series of portraits of refugees in northern Iraq while personally exploring a new style I've been wanting to try for years. It's still a work in a progress and far from my vision, but I hope you enjoy the series and I hope it helps you learn a little more about the people and situation in northern Iraq.