Baking for a Brighter Future
Adiba is a café worker at FYF’s Sugar is Sweet Bakery and Cafe. She discusses how something as simple as baking changed the course of her life:
“Before the genocide, I was living happily with my husband and five kids in my hometown in Sinjar. We were financially stable and had good mental health, as we were never overthinking our safety and security. We farmed and looked after our livestock.
In 2014, ISIS attacked Sinjar. We had to flee to the mountain to survive. While fleeing, I was terrified to see that ISIS was capturing people and putting them in cars. I was so worried about my children and feared they would be captured by ISIS. After 7 days, we came to Khanke IDP camp. Life in the camp is difficult. After all the trauma I experienced, I suffer from overthinking and anxiety.
I heard about FYF’s bakery training course and registered myself. Through the course, I gained new skills and saw my mental health improve because I was leaving the camp, interacting with people, and learning. I am grateful to have been given the chance to work and earn an income to support my family. Through my work at FYF’s Sugar is Sweet bakery and cafe, I feel supported by the staff and my mental wellbeing is now good. I am also attending FYF’s Arabic classes to improve my skills, develop my capacities, and support my children with their studies.”
