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The ‘Boxing Sisters’ of Rwanga refugee camp

They had to flee their homes in the face of the relentless advance of ISIL. Now they’ve found a place to call their own.

The Boxing Sisters are Yazidis who train in the Rwanga Refugee Camp in Dohuk, northern Iraq. Lotus Flower, a British non-profit organisation, launched the project in October 2018 to improve the physical and mental health of women whose lives have been changed by conflict and sexual violence. [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
The Boxing Sisters are Yazidis who train in the Rwanga Refugee Camp in Dohuk, northern Iraq. Lotus Flower, a British non-profit organisation, launched the project in October 2018 to improve the physical and mental health of women whose lives have been changed by conflict and sexual violence. [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
By 
Giacomo Sini and 
Monir Ghaedi
24 Feb 2019
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In a small, poorly-lit cabin in the Rwanga refugee camp in northern Iraq, 12 Yazidi women have come to learn to box. They are the “Boxing Sisters”.

They had to flee their homes in the face of the relentless advance of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group. Now they have found a place to call their own; it didn’t take long before the boxing classes became their favourite activity.

“Back in my village, I took every opportunity to learn any kind of sport. I was a member of my school basketball team and we made it to the regional competition once,” says Husna, 17. 

When the ISIL attacked Husna’s village in Sinjar, her family had to run for their lives, leaving everything behind.

“It was at seven in the morning that my uncle received a text message from one of our relatives who lives in another village. He said that ISIL was on the way and we had to leave immediately. When I try to remember those days, my heart starts to beat so fast, my breathing gets heavier and I feel dizzy,” she says.

Husna and her family ended up in Rwanga, one of the biggest camps for internally displaced persons in the Kurdish region of Iraq. Most of the 15,000 population are Yazidis who have taken shelter in the camp since 2014.

The Boxing Sisters project was launched at Rwanga by Lotus Flower, a British non-profit organisation that focuses on female refugees. It aims to improve the physical and mental health of women whose lives have been affected by conflict and sexual violence. 

The project was well-received, and is growing.

“About 40 others have signed up for the next course,” says Vian Ahmed, regional manager of the Lotus Flower centres.

A male kickboxer trains the group now, but Lotus Flower aims to enable the women themselves to continue the project. Husna will be the first of a few select Boxing Sisters who will learn to become the next trainers in Rwanga and other camps.

Husna says she feels safe and supported when she is with her fellow boxers. “We have been through similar adversities and that makes us close, as close as sisters,” she says, her words meeting with murmurs of approval from the women in the room, “It reminds me of what it was like to have a home.”

Husna, 17, spars with Cathy Brown, a retired professional British boxer and certified cognitive behavioural therapist. Brown will train a few women to become trainers themselves, so they can share their skills with other women of the community. [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
Husna, 17, spars with Cathy Brown, a retired professional British boxer and certified cognitive behavioural therapist. Brown will train a few women to become trainers themselves, so they can share their skills with other women of the community. [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
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At the moment, the Boxing Sisters are being taught by a male kickboxing instructor who comes from Dohuk, the nearest city. Soon, some of them will be trained by retired professional boxer Cathy Brown to become trainers themselves. Husna is the first candidate for that training. [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
At the moment, the Boxing Sisters are being taught by a male kickboxing instructor who comes from Dohuk, the nearest city. Soon, some of them will be trained by retired professional boxer Cathy Brown to become trainers themselves. Husna is the first candidate for that training. [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
Husna in the streets of Rwanga refugee camp for displaced Yazidis. She has always been a sports enthusiast, and believes becoming a boxing trainer is 'a great opportunity to do something I enjoy and at the same time feel powerful and to help other girls feel the same way'. [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
Husna in the streets of Rwanga refugee camp for displaced Yazidis. She has always been a sports enthusiast, and believes becoming a boxing trainer is 'a great opportunity to do something I enjoy and at the same time feel powerful and to help other girls feel the same way'. [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
The Rwanga refugee camp has small shops. Husna has been here for five years. The boxing group started recently. Despite some initial difficulties, the Boxing Sisters programme has been welcomed by the residents of Rwanga. [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
The Rwanga refugee camp has small shops. Husna has been here for five years. The boxing group started recently. Despite some initial difficulties, the Boxing Sisters programme has been welcomed by the residents of Rwanga. [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
Husna's grandmother greets her as she returns from boxing training. Husna describes her family as her greatest source of strength. [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
Husna's grandmother greets her as she returns from boxing training. Husna describes her family as her greatest source of strength. [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
'I love life and I don't hate anyone. I can trust and be friends with all who want to help others, regardless of their faith, race or gender, ' says Husna, seated in front of her temporary house in the camp. [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
'I love life and I don't hate anyone. I can trust and be friends with all who want to help others, regardless of their faith, race or gender, ' says Husna, seated in front of her temporary house in the camp. [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
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Husna, her grandmother and uncle live in a container in the camp. Her grandmother doesn't want to live anywhere but in her village. Husna thinks differently and believes the future matters more than the past. 'I want to go out, see the world and learn as much as I can. Then I will come back to help my loved ones.' [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
Husna, her grandmother and uncle live in a container in the camp. Her grandmother doesn't want to live anywhere but in her village. Husna thinks differently and believes the future matters more than the past. 'I want to go out, see the world and learn as much as I can. Then I will come back to help my loved ones.' [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
'Everyone in the village was running as the ISIL gangs were getting closer. There were continuous sounds of shootings and bombings, ' recalls Husna. [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
'Everyone in the village was running as the ISIL gangs were getting closer. There were continuous sounds of shootings and bombings, ' recalls Husna. [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
Husna says nothing can mask the burdensome reality of spending five consecutive years in a camp, and the rampant post-war anxieties that strike Yazidi women more than any other survivors of the conflict. However, she has found 'a way to fight back'. [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
Husna says nothing can mask the burdensome reality of spending five consecutive years in a camp, and the rampant post-war anxieties that strike Yazidi women more than any other survivors of the conflict. However, she has found 'a way to fight back'. [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
In Husna's opinion, the biggest problem at the refugee camp is limited school time. 'I used to have good marks and I'm still the best in our mathematics class. But all our grades have dropped because we don't get a proper education,' she said.  [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
In Husna's opinion, the biggest problem at the refugee camp is limited school time. 'I used to have good marks and I'm still the best in our mathematics class. But all our grades have dropped because we don't get a proper education,' she said. [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
Rwanga refugee camp is home to more than 15,000 internally displaced people, mostly Yazidis. It is one of the 25 camps around Dohuk, in the northern Kurdish-controlled region of Iraq. These camps have been hosting refugees that fled from ISIL since 2014. [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]
Rwanga refugee camp is home to more than 15,000 internally displaced people, mostly Yazidis. It is one of the 25 camps around Dohuk, in the northern Kurdish-controlled region of Iraq. These camps have been hosting refugees that fled from ISIL since 2014. [Giacomo Sini/Al Jazeera]

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